


light me and i'll burn for you

by woodchoc_magnum



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Drama, Eddie Diaz-centric (9-1-1 TV), M/M, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Evan "Buck" Buckley, POV Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Soft Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:16:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 31,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27893695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: In which an old friend of Buck's joins the 118, and Eddie does not like him. At all.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 218
Kudos: 780





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set post-Season 3 in the middle of 2021, and I left out Covid because it bums me out. Also, I didn't mention the Madney baby, so if you're wondering about that... sorry? Maddie's not really in this one!
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Beautiful cover art by [Ronordmann](https://ronordmann.tumblr.com/) ❤

* * *

Eddie was late.

Well, that wasn't unusual – he was perpetually late for almost everything, but he'd promised Buck that he would be on time for the movie, and as usual, he was running late.

It wasn't his fault – Christopher had protested about going to his Abuela's for the night, and then he'd been extra clingy in the car. Eddie then made the mistake of telling him that he was going to meet Buck to see a movie that was only for adults, and Christopher had practically had a temper tantrum before Eddie was able to calm him down by promising him that he would be able to see Buck the next day.

He should never have invoked the almighty 'B' word – mentioning Buck around Christopher was like setting off dynamite, the kid loved him so much.

So he was fifteen minutes late, which meant they were probably missing the previews, and he jogged up to the movie cinema filled with apologies only to find Buck lounging on a seat out front, long legs outstretched, eyes on his phone.

"I'm sorry," he called, holding his hands up. "Christopher. I just—"

"Nah, it's all good, your Abuela called me because Christopher was upset when you left," Buck replied, flashing him a grin as he rose to his feet. "So I talked him off the cliff with promises of pancakes in the morning, I hope that's okay."

Eddie came to a stop, letting out a breath. "He just loves you, man."

"I'm pretty loveable. Do you still want to see this movie, or do you want to go to a bar and get drunk?" Buck checked his watch. "We've missed the previews."

"You wanted to see it, it's the… Marvel… something," Eddie replied, suddenly realising he had no idea what movie they were there for. "Isn't it?"

Buck grinned at him. "It's not Marvel. You don't remember what we're seeing?"

"Something with superheroes?"

Buck jerked his thumb at the movie poster on the wall next to him, raising his eyebrows. "It's an action movie, Eddie. Not superheroes. Guns and stuff."

"Oh," Eddie replied with a shrug. "Okay. Well, do you want to go in?"

"Nope. Let's get a drink."

~

That was how he found himself seated across from Buck at their usual bar, waiting on a couple of burgers and downing their first beers of the night. Eddie stretched his legs out under the table and regarded Buck, who was wearing that soft pink sweater of his which should not have looked as good as it did.

Buck's eyes were on the football game playing on the big screen, the bottle of beer held near his lips. Eddie watched him, wondering again if he should say something. Throw it out there. Tell the guy that he was into him, and see what happened, but… he kept holding back.

Fear? Maybe. He wasn't sure.

Buck grimaced at the TV, rolled his eyes, and swigged his beer. He set the bottle down on the table and turned his full attention to Eddie. "So. What's up?"

Eddie couldn't help but grin at him. "You're the one who invited me out. I thought we were seeing a movie."

"I knew you wouldn't be on time; you never are. You seemed a little rattled after that call this morning, so… I just wanted to give you a night off."

The call was rough – a boy about Christopher's age had been hit by a car, and he'd coded several times in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Eddie had been the one to perform CPR, his heart in his throat the entire time. He always hated the calls involving kids – couldn't separate Eddie-the-firefighter from Eddie-the-father.

When he, Chimney and Hen had returned to the station, Buck was ready with a fresh pot of coffee and Eddie's favourite chocolate chip cookies – somehow, he always knew exactly what Eddie needed at any given time.

Maybe that was why he'd fallen in love? Buck knew him better than anyone.

But no, it was more than that. It was everything about him – not one specific thing. Eddie kept finding new reasons to fall in love with every single day.

He took a sip of his beer, looking around the bar. The usual mix of firefighters and paramedics were in, and some good-looking women around their age. Carla kept suggesting that he put himself out there and meet someone new – she'd even tried to talk him into downloading Tinder, but he kept resisting.

He didn't want to meet anyone new, not when the perfect person was right in front of him.

"So did you end up meeting up with those guys from your unit?" Buck asked him curiously. "You never mentioned it again."

There had been tentative plans to catch up with some of the guys from his army unit, but it had all fallen through. He shook his head. "No, it was called off. They didn't end up coming to LA, and… I probably wouldn't have gone anyway."

Buck raised his eyebrows. "Bad blood?"

"No, just…" he trailed off, shrugging. "I don't know. A lot of time has passed, and we haven't really kept in touch. So… yeah. I don't know."

Buck leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "Are you okay?"

Eddie blinked at him with surprise. "Yeah? Fine."

"You seem… unhappy. Everything's okay with Christopher? He had that doctor's appointment last week, didn't he? You never mentioned what happened."

"Um, maybe another surgery in a year or two," he replied, and couldn't help but grimace. "It was a bad day; Christopher cried a lot. And… yeah. I don't know, man. He's been a little clingy lately. The anniversary is coming up again."

"Oh, right. Jeez. Wow, two years," Buck commented, rubbing his face. "God, time flies."

"Yeah. I mean, two years for you as well, I guess."

Buck lifted his leg, letting out a chuckle. "Yeah. You know, my leg still aches sometimes. And I was having these dreams where I couldn't move my leg; like I was trapped under the truck. And it was so real, Eddie. Like… I knew I was dreaming – my brain was telling me that I was dreaming, but I was pinned to the bed. I can't explain it."

"It's a form of sleep paralysis, I think."

Buck raised his eyebrows. "Like where people see monsters and stuff?"

"Yeah, they're awake, but they're not really awake," he replied. "Same thing, I think. How often does that happen?"

"I don't know; once a month." Buck shrugged, clearly not too bothered about it. "You know what's worse though? The drowning dreams. Fuck, Eddie," he said, shaking his head unhappily. "I don't know how many times I've dreamed about drowning since the tsunami. I'll probably have one tonight. I hate them."

Buck had never mentioned that before. Eddie leaned forward with interest. "You know Chris has dreams like that too?"

Buck nodded. "Yeah, we talked about it. A couple of times."

"You never told me that," he said, surprised.

"Well… sometimes," Buck said, a little hesitantly, "Christopher doesn't like to tell you the truth about how he's feeling, because… he hates it when you get upset. He says that he knows when you're trying not to cry, and he doesn't like it when you cry, because it makes him cry. And then you're both crying."

Eddie let out a breath of a laugh. God, he loved his kid so much. "He said that?"

"Yeah. So… if he has a bad dream about the tsunami, he wakes up, and he hugs that stuffed Dory I got him, and he sings 'just keep swimming' for a while, until he goes back to sleep. He's trying to be a big boy, I think." Buck smiled at him. "He loves you so much. I never met a kid that talked about his dad the way that Christopher talks about you, like you're a superhero. I think it's awesome, Eddie. You're such a great dad."

Eddie couldn't help but smile, though he was blushing, embarrassed at the praise. "I'm just… figuring it out as I go along. You've been helping me the last few years," he pointed out.

Buck waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, I'm just the bonus. You're the real deal," he said, raising his eyebrows at him. "Hey, do you ever wonder what life would've been like if you hadn't ended up at the 118? We might never have met."

"Oh, I don't know," Eddie replied, as the waitress set their burgers down in front of them. "Life has a way of working out. I think I would've heard about your exploits and stumbled across you sooner or later."

Buck was grinning at him, stuffing fries into his mouth. "My exploits? I'm not the one who goes around cutting my line every chance I get."

"Oh, low blow, Buckley. Bobby's never going to let me forget that, is he?"

"Nah, he's just worried you'll do it again."

~

They ended up back at Buck's apartment. Eddie was sober – he'd only had two beers – but Buck was a little wobbly on his feet, stumbling as he tried to kick his shoes off in the entryway.

"You know what's weird," Buck proclaimed – and Eddie settled in for a wild ride, because drunk Buck loved a tangent about whatever subject he was currently fascinated by – "the people of Pompeii didn't know what a volcano was. Can you imagine?"

"They must've known," Eddie replied, taking another couple of beers from the fridge. "They lived right next to one."

"Nope," Buck said, finally managing to rid himself of his sneakers before tripping over his feet as he went out to collapse on the couch. "One day the mountain is just a mountain, and the next day, the mountain is smoking. Like, say you wake up in the morning, and you eat your bowl of ancient Italian cereal, and you wander over to the window to take in the _beautiful_ Italian coastline, and the fuckin' mountain's on fire. Thanks, man," he said, taking a beer out of Eddie's hand. "And you're like, what's up with that? Why is our nice mountain aflame?"

"Sure," Eddie agreed, settling in beside him. "I can see that."

"Right. And then it just keeps getting worse," Buck said emphatically. "Next thing you know, day turns to night, there are constant earthquakes, your nice city is crumbling, people are leaving, and then it starts hurling rocks, and lava… and you're just like, what the fuck? I'm a rich man from Pompeii, I didn't move here from Rome to put up with this kind of crap. You know?"

Eddie was grinning. "Right. Very true."

"And you're like, well, I'll just ride it out in my house," Buck continued, gesturing wildly with his beer bottle. "And then the mountain spews forth a cloud of superheated death, and you're cooked! In your house! You know what I mean?"

"Yep."

"And then the city is buried and everyone fuckin' forgets about you for god knows how long, and then they dig you up and now they parade tours through! I mean, it's the indignity of death, isn't it," he said, shaking his head. "And like, the pharaohs. Right?"

"Okay, Egypt now, sure…"

"Like, King Tut was nineteen when he died, and now he lives in a museum, and not in his home country. It makes me really sad," Buck said, and when Eddie glanced at him, he realised there were tears shining in those big blue eyes. "You know?"

"Yeah, it's kinda morbid," he agreed.

"I saw mummies at the Smithsonian, and I hated them. I don't really like dead bodies," Buck said sagely, slowly nodding, staring into the distance. "Like… when they're put on show."

"You're too empathetic, Buck. That's why." Eddie swallowed a mouthful of beer, looking around the living room. "Christopher gave you some new drawings for the wall."

"Oh yeah, I'm making a mural!" Buck exclaimed, brightening almost instantly, leaning across Eddie. "I'm going to cover the whole wall. The one in the middle is me and you."

Buck was draped over Eddie's lap, drunk and happy. Eddie felt that familiar yearning in his gut and tried to ignore it, instead patting him on the back. "It looks great."

"God, I want a kid just like yours one day. He's the best. Can I come over for dinner this week?" Buck sat up again, but shifted even closer to Eddie, sinking down in the soft leather couch. "Please?"

"You know you don't have to ask, just turn up whenever you want."

Buck smiled at him, his eyes lighting up. "Okay."

Eddie nodded at him, and against his better judgment, slid an arm around his shoulders. Buck settled in against him, swigging his beer, totally content.

"I never had a friend like you before in my life," Buck murmured. "You're my best friend."

"You're mine too."

"Sometimes I get worried that I don't have any other friends outside of our group," Buck confessed. "But I just like hanging out with you guys."

"Yeah, me too," Eddie agreed.

"I think I'd be really jealous if you got another friend."

He let out a breathy laugh. "You're a bit drunk, buddy."

"But you're my best friend," Buck said firmly. "No one else's. Just mine."

"Okay. I'm yours," he said, patting his back. "No problem."

"Good."

~

He spent the night on the couch – it was comfy, and he even kept a change of clothes at Buck's place, just in case. Buck had staggered upstairs late, and Eddie heard him shuffling around and muttering to himself before finally collapsing onto the bed.

The apartment was never really dark – maybe the upstairs bedroom was, but downstairs, the light from the city kept the place illuminated. At around 3am Eddie threw off his blanket and went out on the balcony, leaning on the railings as he had a silent conversation with himself.

_You could just tell him._

_What if he's not interested?_

_That's not going to happen. Buck loves you._

_But what if he rejects me?_

_Then you'll have your answer, and you can move on._

_But I'm scared._

_Don't be a baby; suck it up and tell him how you feel. It's Buck. He's never going to reject you or hurt your feelings._

_But I told Shannon and she—_

_That was different, and you know it._

Was it different? He'd put himself right out there with Shannon, opened himself up to the idea of loving her again, of trusting her, and she hadn't wanted it. She hadn't wanted _him._ There was every chance that Buck would do the same thing – maybe there was something about him that was just fundamentally unlovable?

He had Christopher, so it wasn't like he was alone, and if he never said anything to Buck, they would continue being best friends, and that was enough. It should feel like enough just to be best friends with the guy, but… for some reason, it wasn't.

And then, as he gazed out over the city, there was a crack, and fireworks exploded across the sky. Someone was going to get arrested, he thought wryly, watching as the sky was painted with colour. Another couple were set off when the balcony door slid open behind him, and Buck gasped, "What's going on?"

"Oh, buddy," Eddie said, turning to him with a grin. "Fireworks. It's okay."

"Oh my god, it scared the shit out of me," Buck groaned, wandering over to join him at the railing. "Are you okay? Did it wake you up?"

"No, I was already out here." Another burst of vibrant colour exploded across the sky.

"This doesn't bother you? This is okay?" Buck was clearly worried about him, one hand resting on Eddie's shoulder.

Eddie shook his head. "I mean, if I'd woken up to it, but… I'm okay." He gave him a reassuring smile, and Buck relaxed.

"Okay, good. Is the couch okay? Why weren't you asleep?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "I'm fine. Honestly. Sometimes when I stay over, I come out here and look at the city."

Buck's eyes flicked over to the skyscrapers in the distance, and then he said, "I didn't know that."

"I never told you, that's all." Eddie patted his hand and stepped away from the railing. "Come on; it's late. I've got to pick the kid up at nine."

Buck trailed after him, watching as Eddie fixed the blanket on the couch again. "You could… take the bed, and I'll stay down here," he offered. "You know I'm intimately familiar with that couch."

He laughed. "It's really okay. Honestly, it's comfortable."

Buck nodded. "Okay. Night, Eds. Pancakes for breakfast."

"Sounds good." Eddie flopped onto the couch again, checking his phone before rolling onto his side to try to fall asleep. He heard Buck moving around above him, and right after the apartment fell silent, he had a thought.

_I should've told him on the balcony._

Fuck.

~

Sunday brought with it a pancake breakfast at their favourite place, followed by a trip to the beach. Eddie lounged on his towel and watched Buck and Christopher paddle out on boogie boards, and body surf back in together. Buck was the only one, aside from Christopher's instructor, that Eddie trusted enough to take care of his son in the water – he figured Buck had saved him from a tsunami, so them paddling around together in gentle waves was nothing.

Buck always seemed to know when Christopher was tired, even if Christopher wouldn't admit it himself. He was the one who called it off, lowering himself in the water so Christopher could climb onto his back, and then rising to his feet, dragging their boards behind him as he waded out of the water and up the beach.

He looked like a fucking god. Eddie was wearing sunglasses, so he could stare as much as he wanted – at the water rippling down the smooth planes of Buck's body, to his firm stomach, the tattoos on his chest and arms, to the beaming smile on his face as they headed towards him.

_I should tell him_ , he thought again, his stomach twisting in knots. _I've got to tell him._

"Dad!" Christopher shouted, leaning over Buck's shoulder. "You should've come in with us!"

"Next time," he promised, sitting up.

"Your Dad likes to sun himself while we do the hard work," Buck teased, helping Christopher onto the sand. "There you go, buddy."

Eddie wrapped his son in a towel and dried him off, before pulling him onto his lap. "Have fun?"

"Yeah," Christopher replied contentedly. "It was awesome."

Buck was on his knees on the towel, drying his hair. "So you know there's a good snorkelling spot a couple of hours up the coast?" he asked Eddie. "We could go camping one weekend. I could get some gear and we could all go snorkelling together, as long as the currents aren't too strong."

"Can we, Dad?" Christopher asked excitedly.

Eddie nodded. "Sure. Sounds good."

Buck grinned. "I'll do the heavy lifting," he promised. "I'll even get us the days off."

"You think you have an in with Bobby."

"I do," he laughed. "Plus, I haven't had a vacation since the truck explosion, so… I've got days stacked up. What about you?"

"Enough to cover a long weekend." Eddie grabbed the tube of sunscreen from his bag, poured some on his hands, and smoothed it on Christopher's face and body. "Sure, Buck. That sounds great."

"Great! I'm going to go grab us some food – you guys want burgers?" Buck was on his feet again, digging through his bag for his wallet and phone.

"No pickles," Christopher requested.

"Nope, I know. No pickles, no onions, no mustard. I got it." Buck tapped the side of his head. "I'll be right back."

Eddie watched him jog over to the food trucks lined up in the parking lot, and settled back onto the towel, Christopher still in his lap. "Dad," Christopher said thoughtfully, "does Buck love us?"

"Yep," he replied, resting his chin on Christopher's head.

"And you love Buck?"

God, his kid was perceptive. "Yep."

"We should just tell him."

Eddie looked over to where Buck was standing in line at a food cart, surrounded by a group of girls in bikinis who were staring at him like they'd never seen anyone so beautiful. As he watched, Buck glanced his way and flashed him a smile. "I can't," he said quietly, hugging Christopher close. "I'm not ready. You won't tell him, right buddy?"

"No, but I think… I think he loves you back."

Eddie shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."

"I know," Christopher said firmly.

"Yeah, well, you're a lot smarter than me." Eddie held him close, gazing out at the ocean. "I know the anniversary is coming up on Tuesday, and we're both going to have the day off together. Are you okay, kiddo? You know, if you want to talk about Mom, or… watch some videos, we could do that."

"Can Buck come?"

He hesitated. "Maybe… just us, for that. He'll have to work, and he didn't really know Mom."

"Okay," Christopher agreed. "Can Buck come over for dinner this week?"

He laughed. "Sure thing, buddy."

Buck returned a few minutes later, with a paper bag full of food and three sodas. "Here we go!" he said as he joined them on the towel. "Now, Chris, you said extra pickles, extra onions, and lots of mustard, right?"

Christopher was giggling. "No!"

"Oh no, I've made a huge mistake," Buck teased, passing him over a burger and a bag of fries.

"You didn't," Christopher said, as Eddie helped him open the wrapper. "Extra ketchup and cheese?"

"Yup, you know it." Buck handed Eddie a burger of his own and set a box of fries between them. "I got the spicy fries you like."

"Thanks, man. Who were those girls? You picking up?" Eddie waggled his eyebrows at Buck, who laughed.

"Nah. I'm not really interested." Buck was smiling at him, his eyes twinkling. "Not in them."

"Ah." Eddie nodded at him, and then looked out at the sea again. "This was a good idea."

"All my ideas are good, when are you gonna learn?" Buck asked him, ducking when Eddie lobbed a fry at his head.

~

A thought occurred to him later that night, after he'd tucked Christopher into bed and was settling down on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and one of his Abuela's brownies. Buck had said he wasn't interested in _them_ while he was looking at _Eddie_ , so maybe…

Maybe he should say something?

Had he missed Buck's glaring invitation to say something?

Fuck. He had, hadn't he? God, he was so bad at this – so terrible at dealing with his feelings, at picking up on hints and clues… maybe Buck just needed to smack him over the head with it; maybe Eddie just… needed to tell him.

He had to tell him.

He was going to tell him. It was decided. He would tell him when Buck came over for dinner. He would make the spaghetti bolognese he liked so much and once Christopher was in bed, Eddie would tell him.

And then hopefully they'd make out, but he couldn't think too much about that or else he'd get too nervous and excited.

So he was feeling hopeful the next morning when he walked into work, greeting the rest of the team as he made his way to the locker room. Buck was already there – Eddie could see him up on the balcony with Chimney, but Hen was seated in the locker room, tying her shoes.

"Morning," she said to him with a grin. "Had a nice day at the beach yesterday?"

"Buck told you," he guessed, slipping out of his jacket.

"Oh yeah, I always know when he's spent the day with you and Christopher. There's about a thousand photos on Instagram, and he skips in here on cloud nine the next day. You two aren't a thing, right? Like… you're not in a secret romance and you're keeping it from us?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed. "No. Just friends." Hopefully more, soon.

"I don't believe you, but that's okay." Hen stood up, tucking in her shirt. "Hey, we've got a new man on the team. He's in Bobby's office right now."

"Oh, filling in for Dave until he gets back?" Dave, who usually drove the ladder truck, had a few months off for knee reconstruction surgery.

"Yeah, I think so. Kind of a big guy, long hair, Buck's age…" she shrugged. "I don't know. Olivia thought he was good-looking, but her taste has always been questionable."

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Eddie had his back to the door when it banged open – it had to be Buck.

"We're having a meeting upstairs in five," Buck said.

"You brewed some coffee, right?" Hen asked him pointedly.

"You know I did."

"Just checking." She left the room, and Buck stepped inside, leaning against the lockers.

Eddie turned around to face him, pulling his shirt over his head. "What'd you get up to last night?"

"I had dinner with Maddie and Chim," he replied, "and that was it. Christopher was okay after yesterday? Not too sore?"

"He's fine, he had a hot shower. He never tells you when he's feeling tired, but I figure you can tell."

"Yeah, he's not as enthusiastic. The mega-watt smile dims a few watts," Buck said with a grin. "I know him pretty well."

"You do," Eddie agreed, buttoning his shirt. "All right. New guy? Have you seen him yet?"

"Nope. You got too much sun yesterday," Buck said, eyeing Eddie's browned arms. "Next time, more sunscreen, less sun. Okay?"

"Yes Mom," Eddie teased, bending over to tie his shoes. "Jesus."

"Yeah, well, you've got a kid, we can't have you dying from skin cancer at 35."

"We can't risk my parents taking over," he said dryly. "You'd stop that, wouldn't you? If something happened to me?"

Buck's eyes widened. "Don't even _joke._ "

"I'm just saying—"

"Nope. You're not. Come on, let's go."

Eddie rolled his eyes, following Buck out of the locker room and up the stairs. He made himself a coffee and was taking a seat at the table beside Chimney when Bobby climbed the stairs, the new hire trailing behind him. He was taller than Buck, well-built, with long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. A tattoo on his neck was just poking out from beneath his collar, he had a noticeable scar one through eyebrow, and he smelled distinctly of cigarette smoke. The guy looked intimidating, but when he smiled, his whole face softened.

"Everyone, this is AJ," Bobby announced, clapping him on the shoulder. "He joins us from San Francisco. He'll be here temporarily while Dave is on leave, so don't be too hard on him – _Chimney_ – and let's give him a warm 118 welcome."

Chimney looked affronted. "I'm not hard on anyone, ever," he protested.

It was then that Buck stepped up and said, "I'm not sure if you remember me—"

"Buck!" AJ exclaimed with surprise. "Yeah, of course! Holy shit, man! New Orleans, right? 2015? I thought you were doing the SEALS thing?"

"Nah, I ended up in California," Buck replied, holding his hand out so AJ could slap it, and then shake it vigorously. "How about you? I thought you were heading east."

"What the hell is going on? When was Buck in New Orleans?" Hen asked them quizzically.

Eddie knew the answer to that – Buck had bartended in New Orleans for a while after his return from South America. He was about to respond when he heard Buck say, "Yeah! Definitely – hey, I'll show you around!"

"Buck, let him meet other people," Bobby said from the kitchen.

"Oh right." Buck dragged AJ over to Hen, Chimney and Eddie.

Before he could speak, Hen held out her hand. "AJ, right? I'm Hen."

"Nice to meet you," he said with a grin.

"This is the infamous Chimney that Bobby was talking about," Buck said to AJ, who laughed and shook his hand. "And this is Eddie."

Eddie nodded at him. "Nice to meet you." He thought the guy looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place him.

Something flickered across AJ's face, but he said, "You, too," and then allowed Buck to drag him over to another group of people.

Chimney raised his eyebrows, wandering over to join Bobby in the kitchen, but Hen stayed at his side, her eyes trained on Buck and the new guy with concern. "Interesting."

"What is?" he asked, sipping his coffee.

"Buck's new friend."

He grimaced. "They know each other from before."

"Yeah, but… you're the only friend he's had in a long time, and… are you going to be okay with sharing him?" she asked knowingly.

"God, the guy's been here five minutes, let's not get carried away," he said, trying to sound nonchalant and effortless.

But no. He was not okay with sharing Buck.

At all.

~

Eddie didn't spend much time with AJ during the day – he was as busy as usual, with Buck at his side – like they always were, together.

It was when they were taking a breather in the back of the truck, after having spent the last hour cleaning up after a big smash on the freeway, that Buck said to him, "AJ's a really nice guy. He was staying in the same share-house as me in New Orleans, but we never really kept in touch."

"Boyfriend," Eddie guessed, and Buck shook his head.

"No, he's straight, and I was too, back then." Buck shrugged at him. "Well, not straight, but… not out. He was just a friend. You'll like him, I think. We should all get a beer together."

Eddie nodded. "Sure. Let me know."

Buck smiled at him, his whole face lighting up. "And I'm still coming over for dinner. Wednesday?"

"Okay."

Buck bounded out of the truck, and Eddie was alone again, downing the last of the cold water, when he leaned back in through the open door. "Hey Eds," he said. "You're okay, right?"

Eddie nodded at him emphatically. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Just checking." Buck flashed him another grin and disappeared again.

He was fine. Sure, the new guy and Buck seemed to like each other a lot, and when they got back to the station, they sat down on the couches together and talked – he guessed they were catching up, but he wasn't really sure. And then as they were leaving for the night, he heard Buck call to AJ that he'd meet him at the bar, so… he guessed that was a thing that was happening.

And he tried to ignore the gnawing feeling of jealousy in his stomach as he watched Buck climb into his jeep wearing a crisp white shirt and black jacket, looking as gorgeous as always.

Everything was fine.

~

Eddie had to put Buck out of his mind. He and Christopher had started a new tradition on the first anniversary of Shannon's death, and he was off work on the Tuesday so they could commemorate her.

They'd start with her favourite breakfast – French toast – followed by some time spent flipping through the photo album Eddie had put together after her death, listening to a mix CD she'd made for Eddie when they first began dating. He'd kept the CD, but had the same playlist on his phone – a mix of late 90s and early 2000s R&B – and it was playing softly in the background while they went through the photos and reminisced together.

Shannon wouldn't have wanted them spending the whole day feeling sad, so afterwards he let Christopher control YouTube on the TV, and told him to go nuts finding funny animal videos for them to laugh at.

Buck checked in with him around lunch – for the first time all day, which was strange. Usually texts came through thick and fast when they were apart. Eddie tried not think too much of it; obviously Buck was giving them space.

Christopher picked the afternoon activity – a trip to the museum. Eddie took some photos of him in front of an exhibit on volcanoes and sent them to Buck, and even bought him a book about Krakatoa from the gift shop on the way out. Buck's volcano kick could continue on indefinitely.

That night, after Christopher was sleeping soundly in bed, Eddie pulled out the small wooden box where he kept the rest of Shannon's belongings, which would one day be passed down to Christopher. Her jewellery case, her diaries, her letters, and his letters to her from Afghanistan. His dog tags were in there, along with their wedding rings, wedding album and the horseshoes she'd worn around her wrists on the big day. His mother's idea – she'd hated them – but he'd kept them. Her wedding dress was long gone, but at least he still had those.

He often wondered what Shannon would think of the direction his life had taken. She'd never met Buck, but he was sure he'd talked about him enough that she would have had a fair idea that Buck was an important person in his life. They were just never really given the opportunity to move on as friends, and sometimes he found himself missing her. Aside from Buck, she'd known him the best. They hadn't always seen eye to eye, but now that some time had passed, he thought they would've been pretty good at co-parenting Christopher as friends. He wished they'd been given the opportunity.

He put everything back in the box and tucked it in the top of his closet, checking his phone again. Buck had sent a message in reply to his pictures of Christopher, but that was over six hours earlier, and he'd received nothing since. Buck was clearly giving him space, but Eddie suddenly couldn't wait to see him at work the next day.

~

He discovered on the Wednesday morning that Buck had spent the last two nights out with AJ, and they even walked into the station together, laughing loudly. They were late, and Bobby noticed, checking his watch pointedly as Buck and AJ strolled into the locker rooms to change.

Hen commented, "Buck has a new best friend."

Eddie tried not to take that to heart, but wow, it hit hard, and it'd only been two days since AJ had joined the team. He'd been off for a day and it was like he'd been replaced, and he realised that Buck hadn't been giving him space after all. He was just distracted.

And then he tried to be rational. Buck wasn't the one with a son and a wife who'd passed away. Buck was single, unattached and available, and he had a new friend. Eddie was an adult, and it wasn’t the end of the world. He was sure he'd feel better when he and Buck had a chance to speak to each other.

"You're late," Bobby said to Buck when he joined them on the balcony, AJ on his heels.

"Sorry," Buck apologised. "Won't happen again."

Bobby gave him a pointed look. "You know better than that."

"Yep. Sorry." Buck greeted them all, and then his eyes landed on Eddie, who was seated in an armchair reading a magazine. "Eds!" he exclaimed, hurrying over to join him. "Hey. How was yesterday?"

"It was okay; a bit easier than last year. Christopher was really brave."

"I was trying not to text you so much," Buck said, and just like that, his fears dissipated. "I wasn't sure what your plans were and I didn't want to bother you."

Relieved, Eddie said, "No, you never bother me. It's okay."

"Good. Hey listen, is there any chance we can take a raincheck on tonight? Is that okay?"

Eddie glanced at him sharply. In the almost three years that they'd known each other, Buck had never cancelled on spending time with him and Christopher. He wasn't going to be _that guy_ , despite Hen and Chimney exchanging concerned looks near the dining table, and said, "Sure. What's going on?"

"We're going to a concert," Buck replied with a grin. "You want to come?"

"Nah, I'm good. Christopher's got a school project due on Friday, so I need to help him with it. He was kinda hoping you'd be there but that's okay." _That_ was kind of petty, but it was true – Christopher was looking forward to Buck helping him, and he'd be disappointed if he didn't turn up.

Buck looked torn. "What's the project?"

"He has to make a big poster board about volcanoes, so Carla's printed out all these pictures and we have paste them on and write a little speech to go with it," he replied. "It's okay."

Christopher had specifically picked volcanoes because Buck was on a volcano kick, but Eddie wasn't going to make him feel bad about living his life. He did grab the book about Krakatoa from beside him and pass it to Buck, who turned it over in his hands with surprise. "What's this?"

"I saw it in the museum gift shop yesterday and thought you'd like it."

Buck was scanning the back cover eagerly. "I've been wanting to read this one! This is awesome, Eds. Thank you so much."

Eddie nodded at him. "It was between that and one about Pompeii, but I thought you might've been ready for something new."

"Yeah, I finished the Pompeii book on the weekend." Buck flipped through the book. "You know what? Volcanoes are way more important that Mumford & Sons. I take it back; I'll be at your place tonight to help out."

"You don't like Mumford & Sons," Eddie said to him, and Buck grimaced.

"Yeah, I know, but the tickets are free. Doesn't matter; I'm not going! Volcanoes it is," he said firmly, his eyes trained on the book. "This is gonna be good. Are you ready for some Krak-facts, Eds? Because you're gonna get them."

Eddie was laughing at him when AJ strolled up to them, swigging a bottle of Gatorade. "What's so funny?"

Buck set the book down on the couch, out of AJ's line of sight, and said, "Sorry, I'm out tonight. I gotta help Christopher with his project."

"Who's Christopher?" AJ asked, confused.

"My son," Eddie replied, flicking to the next page in his magazine. "Buck's his best friend."

AJ raised his eyebrows. "Your best friend is a kid?"

Eddie glanced at him with a raised eyebrow at that, but Buck said, "Yeah, he's the greatest. The smartest, funniest kid ever. Sorry man. Next time I'm in, but this is more important."

"No problem." AJ turned his attention to Eddie. "What does your wife think about Buck being best friends with your son?"

"I'm a widower," Eddie replied casually.

He heard Hen hiss from behind him, and bit back a grin. He loved dropping that bomb on people when they were being nosy.

AJ grimaced. "Shit. Sorry, man. I feel like a jerk."

"It's okay; you didn't know."

"Eddie's going to grab a drink with us – Friday night, Eds? You free?"

"Sure." It would be interesting to get to know AJ, who was trying to hone in on Eddie's best friend. He couldn't wait to see what had Buck so enamoured with him.

"So you're from LA?" AJ asked him curiously, perching on the edge of one of the armchairs.

He shook his head. "No, I'm from El Paso originally."

"How'd you end up here?"

"It's the best department in the country, and I found a great school for my son," he said simply.

"Single dad, huh?"

"Yep. Just me."

"Eddie's the best dad ever," Buck gushed – ever loyal. Eddie had always found it flattering. He didn't really believe it himself, but Buck's faith in him made him feel like he was doing something right.

AJ raised his eyebrows at him. "My mom always said that she felt sorry for single dads. Men aren't cut out for the maternal side of it. We don't show our feelings, stuff like that."

He shrugged. "I'm doing okay."

"But it's not like you're the biggest personality here at the station," AJ continued. "Like, I can't imagine you… being like, a fun dad. Like, Buck would be a fun dad."

Insulted, he straightened up, but before he could respond, Buck said to AJ, "Eddie's great. That's kind of an outdated way of thinking, dude. A little sexist."

"Oh shit, I'm not trying to be sexist," AJ backpedalled, but Eddie had no doubt that he'd meant what he said. "I just… yeah, my mom… I guess she's pretty old-fashioned. I'm really sorry, Eddie. We don't know each other very well and that was rude."

It was rude, but he wasn't going to be an asshole about it. "It's okay," he replied, but mentally made a note not to allow AJ anywhere near Christopher. He relaxed again, flipping his magazine to the next page, and when AJ stood and went over to the kitchen, Buck reached out to touch his hand.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a low voice. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, buddy. It's okay." Eddie smiled warmly at him. "No problem."

"Okay. I just need to run home after work, but I'll be at your place before six thirty."

"Great. We'll be ready for you."

~

Carla pulled Eddie aside right after he'd greeted Christopher, practically dragging him into the kitchen. "What's going on?" she asked him, one hand on her hip, eyebrows raised.

Taken aback, he asked, "I don't know?"

"Christopher told me a secret about you and Buck."

He groaned. "It's nothing."

"It feels like it might be something." She eyed him suspiciously. "He told me that you've got feelings for our favourite blonde firefighter."

"It was a father-son secret but now I guess it's not," he complained.

"He's just excited. You know how much he loves Buck, and everyone knows how much Buck loves the both of you. And I don't have any doubt that when you tell Buck how you feel, he'll be over the moon."

Eddie shrugged, still feeling nervous about it. "I don't know."

"I think he's been waiting for you," she said gently. "You're not the most open about your feelings, you know."

He laughed. "Yeah, I guess not. I've just been waiting for the right moment."

"You'll find it, I'm sure." Carla squeezed his hand. "Just do me a favour, all right? Think about what comes after the moment you tell him. You and Christopher have been on your own for a long time now, and I know Buck's here all the time, but it's one thing to go from best friend to romantic partner. You'll need to figure out how to navigate that."

He hadn't really thought about that part of it. Was Buck even really ready to take them both on? A ready-made family? Something in him said _yes_ , but there was always the chance that they weren't what Buck was looking for. Maybe Eddie had twisted it all in his head, because he hadn't even tried to date anyone else… he'd decided on Buck, and that was it.

So maybe he needed to work out if he and Christopher were definitely what Buck wanted, without asking him outright. The last thing he wanted was for either of them to get hurt, or for Christopher's hopes to be dashed – he needed to hedge his bets, give it a little more time, and then decide what he was going to do.

Carla eyed him curiously. "I'm not telling you not to go for it, you know. God knows I want you to be happy. You and Christopher are very important to me."

He smiled at her, and nodded. "Ditto. I don't know. I'll give it a little longer. I don't want Christopher to be disappointed or confused… Buck could say no. I know that."

"He could, but he's been single as long as you, and I know he's a devoted best friend… I can only imagine that he'd be a devoted partner as well. I mean, I remember what he was like with Abby."

Eddie scowled, and Carla laughed at him good-naturedly. "We don't talk about her in this house."

"Oh, so grumpy," she teased him, patting his cheek. "Still mad about the derailment? Buck told me how you stormed off while you were in a vertical train car."

He exhaled. "He told you that?"

"Oh yeah, couldn't wait to tell me." Carla packed up her purse, still chuckling. "You know he's well and truly over her, right? If that's what has you confused."

"Yeah, I know. I just hated how he made her a promise."

"That's our Buckaroo, always putting himself last. You'll have to work out how to deal with that as well," she said wisely. "He's selfless to a fault."

He nodded thoughtfully, and then said, "I know she's your friend, but the thing that always pissed me off about that was the fact that he put so much into it, and changed for her, and she just… walked away. She could've given him a clean break, but she didn't. I know she had her own issues, but Buck deserved better. I could be good for him… because I love him," he said simply, his voice cracking. "And I want him to be happy."

Carla pulled him for an impulsive hug. "I want you to be happy," she said firmly. "So go with your gut."

"Yeah, I will," he murmured.

His gut was telling him it wasn't the right time to say something, and so, reluctantly, he turned the key on his heart, and decided not to tell him.

~

Buck arrived just after six thirty and immediately sprawled out with Christopher on the floor, looking through all the pictures and information he'd printed, trying to decide what to add to his poster. Eddie made dinner in the kitchen, thinking about what AJ had said. He was a fun dad, right? He and Christopher had fun together without Buck?

Yeah, they did. They definitely did. He'd just included Buck in whatever activities they were doing – it wasn't like having Buck around made things fun.

It was kind of a rude thing to say to someone new, though, and Eddie was still stewing about it when Buck leaned over his shoulder to sniff the food. "Mmm. From scratch?"

"Yep," he replied. "I can cook. I can do stuff."

"Never said you couldn’t. Want me to set the table?"

"Sure."

Buck brushed past him, grabbing cutlery out of the drawer. It had always felt oddly domestic having Buck in his house – he'd spent so much time there that he knew where everything was without having to ask. He had an accumulation of clothes, which Eddie kept washed and laundered for him, and his own special drawer in Eddie's bedroom.

He was suddenly inexplicably sad – he wanted more than just friendship. He wanted intimacy as well. He wanted Buck to stay in his bed; he wanted… kissing. God, he missed kissing, so much. He missed being touched by someone; held… he missed intimacy. Eddie had been alone a long time.

"You okay?" Buck asked him, breaking through his reverie. "You seem really quiet. Are you still thinking about what AJ said?"

"That I'm not fun?" he asked dryly, dishing spaghetti onto three separate plates. "Can you grab the parmesan for me?"

Buck opened the fridge and retrieved it, passing the bag over to him. "He doesn't know you."

Eddie shrugged. "I mean, yeah, but like… don't say that to someone you just met. He doesn't know me. I'm fun. Aren't I?" He tipped a little cheese on top of their food and sealed the bag again.

Buck grinned at him. "I think you're great," he replied, and when Eddie glanced at him, he found Buck gazing at him affectionately. "I think you're the best."

"Yeah, but you're biased. You know what? I'm going to take Christopher to Knott's Berry Farm," he said decisively, passing Buck a plate. "And you can't come."

"What?!" Buck protested. "Don't punish me!"

"I need to prove that I can be fun without you," he said, following Buck out to the dining table. "Chris! Dinner."

"Eddie, please let me come with you," Buck begged. "Seriously – I will be so boring. Please!"

Eddie chuckled, holding the seat out so Christopher could slide onto it, and then pushing him in. "Nope."

"Oh man, come on," Buck complained. "Please?"

"Well, okay," he acquiesced, and Buck kicked him under the table. "But I make the decisions. You're just gonna carry the bags."

"I'll do whatever you want, but I heard they've got berry hotdogs," Buck said eagerly, "and I want to eat one."

"What are we doing?" Christopher asked in confusion.

"We're going to go to Knott's Berry Farm," Eddie said, pouring a glass of water for him. "My idea. I'm a fun dad. I'm a cool dad."

"Please don't take it to heart," Buck begged. "He didn't mean it in a bad way."

"Yeah, yeah. I have nothing to prove to him, but we haven't been to an amusement park in a while and we have Sunday off, so…" Eddie raised his eyebrows at Christopher, who was grinning at him happily. "What do you say, kid? You and me, and Buck, if he's nice?"

"Yes," Christopher agreed eagerly. "That sounds awesome."

"Yeah, it will be." Eddie ruffled his hair. "You can do Sunday, right?"

Buck nodded firmly. "Yep. I'm in. For sure."

"Good."

They dug into their food, and were silent for a few minutes, until Buck said to Eddie, "Have you been practicing your cooking?"

Eddie shook his head. "No. But I think I've got a natural talent for it."

Christopher let out a peal of laughter, and Eddie admonished him with a look.

Buck gestured to the spaghetti with his fork and said, "You've outdone yourself, sir. Did you make the sauce from scratch?"

"Yeah, Bobby showed me how." Eddie raised his eyebrows at Christopher, who somehow had sauce smeared on his nose. "Are you eating that or wearing it?"

"Both," Christopher said proudly, and he and Buck began to giggle together.

Eddie gazed at them both fondly. Buck reached across the table with a napkin to wipe Christopher's nose, and said to him, "When we go to Knott's Berry Farm, we're going to ride that big wooden rollercoaster—"

Eddie cleared his throat. "I'm in charge of the fun," he reminded Buck.

"So the wooden rollercoaster is like, number one on your list then," Buck said innocently.

He hadn't exactly decided what was on his list, but Buck didn't need to know that. "You'll find out when you find out," he replied smartly. "Eat your dinner."

Buck grinned at him, exchanging a look with Christopher. "We're going to make you eat one of those berry hot dogs."

"We're going to have a berry good time!" Christopher exclaimed, and at that, they all burst into laughter.

Buck was howling, his head thrown back, and Christopher had that delighted grin on his face when he'd said something really clever. Eddie wiped tears from his eyes with his napkin and thought, _I want this all the time._

~

They finished up Christopher's project after dinner and left the poster to dry on the table. Christopher went to bed afterwards, and Buck chilled on the floor and listened while Eddie read to him for a while.

When he was asleep, they both returned to the living room, and Eddie collapsed onto the couch with Buck at his side. He stretched his arms over his head, yawning, and then said, "Are you staying the night?"

"Yeah, is that okay?"

"Of course it is. I'll get some blankets for you."

Buck turned his head to the side, gazing at Eddie curiously. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Eddie made a face at him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know, the last couple of weeks… it's like you're… it's like you've got something on your mind, and you won't tell me what it is." Buck shifted so he was side-on, facing Eddie, tucking a hand under his head. "What's going on, buddy? Your parents? Something with Chris's school?"

God, Buck was almost as perceptive as Christopher. Eddie thought he'd been doing a pretty good job of hiding his feelings. "It's not that," he said with a shrug.

"Then what is it? Work?"

"No, no…" he trailed off, wondering what he should say, when a thought popped into his head. "Honestly, I'm thinking about dating again. Like, putting myself out there." He glanced at Buck, who looked briefly panicked. "Do you think that's a bad idea?"

"Um… dating?" Buck asked, his voice higher-pitched than normal. "Is that… a good idea, right now?"

"Right now?"

"Yeah."

Eddie made a face. "Why is now a bad time?"

"Um… maybe ease into it first. You never pursued anything with that teacher."

"I wasn't really interested in her," he replied. "She was Christopher's teacher; it wouldn't have been a good idea."

"Yeah, so… don't do it at all then."

Eddie let out a breathy laugh. "Okay? Why, is it dangerous to date in Los Angeles? Something you're not telling me?"

Buck just shook his head. "Just, um… I think… it would be confusing for Christopher if you started bringing random women home."

"Who said I would be bringing random women home? I wouldn't do anything to confuse him."

"No, but like… just don't do it," Buck said helplessly.

Eddie laughed at him, totally amused. "You're being irrational. I can date if I want to."

"Eddie," Buck said imploringly, and suddenly all the air disappeared from the room. "Eddie, please."

They stared at each other. Eddie had no idea what was going on in Buck's head, and he kept wondering if this was the moment – should he say something? Maybe Carla was being too cautious - should he float the idea? But Buck looked so distressed and anxious that it didn't feel right, and so instead he nodded, and murmured, "You're probably right."

Buck let out a breath. "Okay. Good."

He almost wanted to download Tinder to see what all the fuss was about – maybe he should do that? Set it to guys and girls and see what happened? Would Buck's head explode?

Or maybe he should just talk to him, like he'd wanted to. Carla was just being overprotective. Surely Buck felt it too, this thing between them… it couldn't possibly just be Eddie, all alone in his feelings.

With no real answer in sight, he decided to change the subject. "So you're happy AJ is here?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, yeah, we've been catching up after work; it's been great. It's been a nice distraction, actually."

A distraction. Eddie mulled that over. "From what?" he asked curiously.

Buck looked momentarily panicked, and then said, "From… I don't know, being alone. I'm alone a lot, so… yeah, it's been good to hang out with someone new. Talking about maybe doing some hikes through the canyon over the next few weeks. You want to come?"

"No," he replied. "I'm not into hiking."

Buck grinned at him. "Good exercise."

"Nah, I've been doing some boxing again, so… that's more my speed." Eddie stretched his legs out, resting his feet on the coffee table. "Was he pissed about the concert?"

"No, he's not like that. He's a really cool guy. You'll like him; I know you will. You're just off to a rocky start, that's all."

~

By Friday, two things were clear.

The first was that Eddie didn't like AJ, and the second was that AJ didn't really seem to like Eddie all that much.

Thursday afternoon was the deciding factor – Eddie walked in on a conversation that AJ was having with a few of the other single guys, laughing about how lame it was that people were so preoccupied with their kids, and how their personalities changed completely after having children.

"Like Eddie," AJ was saying, and Eddie paused out of sight behind one of the trucks. "That dude is so boring. He never smiles – never! I don't know why Buck thinks he's so great. Honestly, I haven't seen him doing anything impressive. He's just so boring. All he talks about is his kid, like… how fucking lame."

Eddie pursed his lips, leaning on the truck, lifting his head as Hen approached. He held a finger to his lips, and she instantly hurried to his side to listen.

"And Buck's all excited because they're going to Knott's Berry Farm this weekend, like… the guy I used to know, in New Orleans? He would think this was so dumb. He wouldn't want to be friends with someone so miserable. Like, the chicks he used to nail? He was on fire."

Hen raised her eyebrows at Eddie, gripping his arm.

"Buck's settled down a lot," someone said. "He stole the fire truck a couple of times during his first year and nearly got fired."

"See, that's the kind of cool shit I'm talking about. The Buck I know wouldn't be best friends with someone's kid. I feel like I've been sent here to remind him who he is or something, I don't know."

"I think you're underestimating Diaz, though," someone else said. "He's pretty badass when he wants to be."

"I doubt that; the dude is weak as fuck."

Eddie rolled his eyes at that, sharing a look with Hen, who whispered, "I'm going to tell Buck."

He shook his head. "He'll figure it out."

"Eddie!"

"No, let him figure it out," he said, leading her away from the conversation, despite her protests.

And then later on, as he was about to leave for the night, she pulled him aside and said seriously, "Don't take anything that dipshit says to heart, Eddie. Please."

He just shrugged at her, not quite sure how to handle it.

Was he really _boring?_

What kind of stunts did AJ want to see him perform, anyway? Most of their call-outs had been to car accidents, false alarms and things like that – he hadn't needed to do anything spectacular other than the usual duties of his job. What did he need to prove to this guy anyway?

He was still puzzling over it when he joined Buck and AJ for drinks on Friday night – though, in an effort to look nice, he'd changed at home before dropping Christopher off with his Abuela for the night. Eddie was wearing a black button-up and black slacks – much different to his usual jeans-and-Henley combo – and he hadn't missed the look of surprise that lit up Buck's face when he crossed the bar towards them.

Nor did he miss the appreciative looks from the group of women at the bar, either.

Eddie sat down with them, and AJ immediately stood to grab them some beers. Buck leaned across the table and said, "I didn't expect you to dress up."

He looked down at himself and shrugged. "Thought I would."

"To meet someone?" Buck pressed, looking around the bar urgently. "Is that why?"

"I don't know, Buck. Maybe."

He'd never seen Buck looked so panicked. "Eddie, um… you can't, because we have work tomorrow," he said, clearing his throat. "So… you can't."

Eddie suddenly found him so endearing that he didn't have it in him to protest. He couldn't help but smile good-naturedly at Buck, who relaxed instantly. "Don't worry so much," he said. "Don't worry about me. I haven't downloaded Tinder."

Buck let out a sigh of relief. "Good. You'd hate it."

"Here we go," AJ said, setting beers on the table in front of them. "I got you a Corona, Eddie. I hope that's cool. I know you're Mexican."

He wanted to make some crack about his ethnicity not allowing him to drink American beer, but ignored the comment and took a swig. Truthfully, he'd always liked a Corona – much more than those awful craft beers Buck was always forcing him to try. He wasn't sure whose dumb idea it was to add spices to beer, but all it succeeded in doing was ruining the beer.

The conversation was pretty generic for a while. Eddie listened as they talked about what adventures they could go on together – white water rafting was the latest one, and when Eddie dryly asked if they were going to attempt that in the Los Angeles River, AJ had given him a look like he was stupid.

"No," he replied. "The Colorado River is where we'd go."

Eddie nodded, raising his eyebrows, trying hard not to roll his eyes. Buck glanced back and forth between them, confused.

AJ seemed to have done an awful lot in a short amount of time, and Eddie was becoming increasingly convinced that half of his stories were made up. For example, trekking through the jungles of the Congo and coming across an isolated tribe seemed far-fetched to him (especially for a guy who had no qualifications to be doing that sort of thing), but Buck was nodding with interest, so Eddie kept his mouth shut.

And then he began to speak at length about his trip to Antarctica, and at that, Eddie had to call bullshit (in his _head_ – outwardly, he was silent). He and Christopher had watched a travel show about it, and then he'd fallen down the rabbit hole researching how much it would all cost to actually _do it_ – upwards of $50,000.00. Unless AJ was a secret millionaire – and he doubted that – there was no way he could afford it.

His last story was about witnessing a volcanic eruption in Iceland a few years earlier, and at that, Buck finally began to look incredulous. Neither of them pressed him about it. Eddie had met guys like AJ before – the one-upmanship, the competition, the bragging – it was all false. Actually, the constant lies reminded him a lot of a certain disgraced ex-president, and he hoped Buck was intelligent enough not to fall for any of AJ's crap.

When AJ finally stopped talking, Buck excused himself, and headed for the bathroom. Unfortunately, that meant Eddie was alone with the creep for the first time. _Great._

"So, Eddie," AJ said, leaning back in his seat, gazing at him with interest. "You're a man of few words."

"Not really," he replied. "I just don't know you very well."

"Well, let's get to know each other. El Paso, huh? What'd you do down there before you became a firefighter?"

Eddie sipped his beer and said, "My father owns a furniture company; I worked there for a while. Had a few different jobs before I joined the army."

"Oh, what'd you do in the army? Did you go on active service?"

"Yeah, I was stationed in Afghanistan. Army medic," he replied. "Two tours."

AJ leaned forward with interest. "See a lot of action?"

Of course he'd want to know all the gory details. Eddie said, "A bit. Nothing I want to talk about."

AJ eyed him, and then sighed. "See, this is what I mean. I can't get a read on you. You're a widower, you've got a kid, you were an army medic, but like… what do you do for fun? What's a day off for you look like? Just hanging out with your kid?"

Eddie heaved a sigh. "Yep. Pretty much."

AJ grimaced. "Really? That's all you do? You don't have any hobbies? That's what I want to know. Are you into music? Do you read a lot of books? Do you mountain bike? Do you rock climb? What do you do with yourself when you're not a dad or a firefighter? That can't be just all there is to you."

Eddie set his beer down on the table, pursing his lips. "I don't get a lot of free time, dude," he said bluntly. "I work six days a week most weeks, sometimes 24-hour shifts. I have a son who needs my attention, so I don't have a lot of time to just fuck around and go rock climbing. That being said, I like MMA and boxing, and I have a gym that I go to regularly. And I like movies and stuff, but yeah, my kid and work takes up a lot of my time."

"See, I couldn't handle that," AJ replied, shaking his head. "I'd go crazy. I need freedom, you know? I need no strings attached. No girlfriends. Just casual sex for me."

Eddie lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "Cool," he said flatly.

"Not for you though, huh?" AJ asked him. "How long ago did your wife die? Been a while since you had a roll in the hay?"

"That's a bit personal," he remarked.

"Well, I'm curious! A good-looking guy like you – no dark secrets there? No secret midnight liaisons? You're not a part of some underground BDSM ring, are you?"

He wrinkled his nose. "God, no. How the fuck would I have time?"

"Get your kid a sitter and go out and fuck, that's what I'd do."

"Well, I'm not you." Eddie said bluntly.

"You'd do well to take some lessons from me about having fun."

Eddie leaned forward. "Your kind of fun is not my kind of fun."

"Yeah, clearly." AJ rolled his eyes. "How long ago did your wife die?"

He was clearly not going to stop digging, so Eddie swigged his beer and replied, "Two years ago."

"But you've had girlfriends since, right?"

"No man, I've got a kid."

AJ grimaced. "How the fuck do you handle that? I genuinely want to know. You got one hand bigger than the other?"

Eddie examined his hands, and then raised his middle finger at AJ with a pleasant smile. "Nope."

"I'm just joking," AJ groaned. "You know how to take a joke?"

"Yeah, when it's funny. What's your deal anyway? How'd you end up in LA, after all this travelling you've apparently done?"

AJ gave him an icy look. "Apparently?"

"Yeah, kinda sounds like bullshit to me."

"You want to see the pictures, Eddie? You want my Instagram handle?"

He grimaced. "I couldn't think of anything worse than looking through your Instagram."

AJ glared at him. "No need to be a dick."

"Right back at you."

They were silent for a moment, and Eddie wondered where the hell Buck was.

AJ finally said, "I've been in San Francisco the last couple of years. Decided firefighting would give me a nice adrenaline rush every day, so that's why I made my choice. Why'd you become a firefighter and not a paramedic?"

Eddie wanted to give a flippant response but decided to be honest instead. "I like to be on the frontlines, helping people. I'm good at it. Buck and I have been partners for a few years now, and the 118 is the best team I've ever worked with."

AJ arched his eyebrows. "MMA, and firefighting, and… being a dad," he said, letting out a derisive chuckle. "Killer combo."

He flashed a fake smile. "Thanks."

"So let's talk greatest hits," AJ said, his eyes trained on Eddie. "You go first. Whatcha got?"

Eddie was keeping his cool well, considering his blood was boiling. He couldn't stand AJ, but he wasn't going to lower himself, and so he said, "Isn't that kind of lame? A pissing contest about who's done the baddest shit?"

"God, you're such a boy scout. I'll start," AJ said dryly, rolling his eyes. "So I climbed K2 a few years ago, jumped out of a few planes, trekked to Everest Base Camp and mountain-biked the Colorado Trail in the Rockies last year. Firefighting? You remember when the Anderton Building burned down in San Francisco a few months ago? Yeah, I was the guy in the helicopter, pulling people off the roof. All in a day's work."

What a load of shit. "Cool," he said dryly.

"Cool," AJ repeated. "Then give me your best shot."

He shrugged. "Nah, I think you got me beat."

It was at that moment that Buck returned to the table with three fresh beers, sliding into his seat beside Eddie. He opened his mouth to speak but was immediately cut off.

"Then what went down in Afghanistan that got you a Silver Star?" AJ asked pointedly. "Some of the guys were talking about it. Real hero stuff."

Eddie narrowed his eyes at AJ. "I have nothing to prove to you," he said icily. "Not a single damn thing. And I'm not telling you about that."

"Um… Eddie doesn't want to talk about that," Buck said to AJ awkwardly. "I don't know what I missed, but…"

"God, Buck, I was just joking!" AJ said, giving him a playful shove. "Me and Eddie, we're all good. Drink some beer, loosen up. Let me tell you about this chick I dated in Mexico last year. Her name was Maria, right, and she's got this long, curly dark hair – like, stunning. Like, you have never seen a woman so hot before. And her tits – fuck, you guys. Let me tell you about her tits—"

"I'm good," Eddie cut in, rising to his feet, pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He threw a crumpled note on the table and said, "I'll see you guys at work."

"Eddie," Buck said in shock, but he was already on his way out of the bar, listening to AJ's moronic laughter fade into the background.

He expected Buck to follow him, but he didn't.

So that told him everything he needed to know.

~

To say it was frustrating was an understatement. He'd stupidly thought Buck would follow him – Buck _always_ followed him – and to turn around to find himself alone hurt.

He drove home to his dark, empty house, grabbed another beer from the fridge, and went to sit out in the backyard.

He'd done this to himself; he realised that. If he'd just told Buck how he felt, maybe this wouldn't have happened – or maybe it still _would_ , and he'd just have more reason to be hurt and angry.

But if he was really honest with himself, he could see AJ's appeal. No kids, no problems – just a single guy, like Buck, looking to have some fun. And maybe he'd been too hopeful in thinking that Buck would want a serious relationship right off the bat – the guy had been single for years. Maybe he was just looking for something easy – someone _easy_ , easier than Eddie, anyway – and that was okay.

He could understand it.

The problem was that in trying to decide whether or not to tell Buck how he was feeling meant that he was hiding things from him, and usually they were so honest with each other. He just didn't want to tell him _now_ , not with this AJ person hanging around, making things awkward.

Eddie swigged his beer, gazing up at the inky night sky. He told himself that Buck hadn't rejected him; that there was nothing to reject. That he shouldn't feel like all hope was lost because of one stupid night at a bar. He told himself it was _Buck_ , and if there was one person that Eddie knew better than anyone else on the planet – aside from Christopher – it was Buck.

He tried to be confident. Buck wasn't stupid. He would figure out pretty quickly that AJ was bad news. Eddie just had to be patient.


	2. Chapter 2

Buck sidled up to him at work the next morning, a hangdog expression on his face. "Hey."

Eddie glanced at him as he added sugar to his coffee. "Hey. Nice night?"

"I'm really sorry," Buck began. "I didn't realise you guys… had nothing in common."

"You do have stuff in common with him?" Eddie asked skeptically. "Because I gotta say, Buck, I don't know what the hell you see in that guy. Are you that desperate for company? What's going on? He's obnoxious."

"He's not like that when it's just me and him," Buck said awkwardly. "Even the stuff he was talking about, the Antarctica stuff? It was like he was putting on a show for you. I think… he's really threatened by you for some reason."

"Well, I don't care. I don't want any part of it. He's your friend; not mine." Eddie stirred his coffee, dumped the spoon in the sink, and turned around to find AJ sliding into a seat at the table beside Chimney. "And I'm gonna go… somewhere else."

Buck trailed after him, ignoring AJ as he called his name. "Eds, wait," he said, following him down the stairs and out to the side of the station. "I feel awful. What did he say to you when I was away from the table?"

"A lot of things," he said shortly. "Things I'm not interested in going over again."

Buck grabbed him by the elbow and said, "I wanted to talk to you last night, but I got out to the car park and you'd already left. Tell me what he said."

Eddie shook his head. "He's just a jerk. What more do you need to know? You should know me well enough by now to realise that when I don't like someone, I have a good reason."

Buck chewed his lower lip. "But… he's only been here a week, you know… and maybe he's acting this way because he's intimidated, and once he gets to know you—"

Eddie checked to make sure they were alone, and then said, "Listen – I've met guys like him before. I don't get along with them. We're oil and water. You're a lot more easy-going than I am, so… he's your friend. I'm not going to tell you not to hang out with him."

"But you won't, if he's there," Buck said quietly.

"No." Eddie shrugged at him. "Sorry."

"I don't want it to be like this."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, I just… I don't like him."

Buck gave him a long look. "Eddie, I—"

The alarms began to ring, and Eddie groaned, taking a sip of his coffee before tossing the rest into a garden and following Buck back into the station.

~

They were responding to a house fire in Reseda. Bobby ordered Buck and Eddie inside to clear the occupants, and it was just as Eddie was about to suit up when he heard AJ say to Bobby, "Aw Cap, I could go in as well. Instead of Diaz."

"No, you hang back. Buck and Eddie have this."

Eddie glanced over at him, noticed the frustrated expression on his face, and then followed Buck into the house. They quickly made their way through room by room, but it was when they were up on the second floor that an urgent call came over the radio.

"Buck, Eddie – get out of there, right now," Bobby ordered. "There are gas bottles in the basement that are about to blow."

"Copy that," Eddie replied, grabbing Buck by the arm. "Let's go."

"One last bedroom," Buck shouted, gesturing to the room at the end of the hall. "We've got time."

"We don't know that," Eddie objected, but Buck was already racing down the hall and throwing the door open. There was nothing – Eddie could see the room was empty from where he was standing – but just as they were about to head for the stairs, there was a muffled thud from the basement, and the house shuddered.

"Out a window," Buck suggested, grabbing Eddie by the arm, and dragging him through the main bedroom, which overlooked the backyard and pool. He smashed through the glass and climbed out onto the roof, reaching a hand through the window to help Eddie out. Another thump came from the basement, and flames shot out of the first floor.

"Buck, Eddie! Where are you?" Bobby was shouting into the radio.

"On the roof at the back," Eddie responded, holding onto Buck's arm as they made their way over to the pool.

"We're coming; hold tight," Bobby ordered them.

"I'll jump down," Buck said to Eddie, "and then I'll catch you."

"Okay," Eddie agreed, as another muffled thud came from inside the house, and flames shot out of the window they'd smashed through. "Be quick."

"Yep." Buck sat down on the edge of the roof, and then turned so he was facing Eddie, slowly lowering himself until he was hanging by his hands. Eddie leaned over and watched as he dropped to the tiles below, and then sat down on the edge to follow him. "I've got you," Buck called up to him.

Eddie mimicked Buck, but just as he turned to face the house, another explosion from inside rocked the entire structure, and he lost his grip. He fell into Buck's arms, and Buck lost his balance, sending them both tumbling backwards into the pool.

Eddie sank to the bottom like a stone with all his gear on, frantically undoing the strap around his waist holding his oxygen tank. Buck was doing the same beside him, and he freed himself first before swimming over to Eddie and practically ripping the straps open, before hauling Eddie up with him to the surface of the pool.

They turned to look at the house – the second storey caved in on the first, and another muffled explosion from the basement sent fresh flames shooting up and out of the structure.

Buck let out a breath, still holding Eddie's arm under the water. "Holy shit. That was fucking close!"

Eddie splashed water at him, and swam over to the side of the pool, pulling himself up and out. He flopped onto his back on the concrete, breathing heavily, as footsteps thudded nearby.

"Buck! Eddie!" Chimney called from a neighbouring yard. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're here," Buck called, pulling himself up beside Eddie. "Come on, we better get away from this." He stood, holding his hand out, and pulled Eddie upright.

They went over the fence together, where Chimney was waiting for them, and followed him out to the front again. Eddie was ripping off his gloves when he heard AJ say to Buck, "You guys get caught up there or something? You were supposed to evacuate."

He glanced up as Buck replied, "We had to finish checking the rooms to make sure we didn't leave anyone behind. It's all good, man. Eddie and I have done it a thousand times before."

"They're our best boys," Hen said as she passed by. "They've got this."

At that moment, Eddie saw something that looked a lot like jealousy flash across AJ's face, before he clapped his hand on Buck's shoulder and gave him a shake. "This is why I like you, Buckley. Nothing fazes you."

Buck laughed, turning to look for Eddie, who was already disappearing between the trucks.

~

AJ wanted to take his place; that much was clear. Eddie mulled it over in the truck on the way back to the station, Buck at his side. They'd been partners for almost three years. He trusted Buck with his life, with his son – with everything. He'd never questioned himself before – Eddie was nothing but confident in who he was, in how good he was at his job, in parenting, in being Buck's best friend. He knew Buck better than anyone, and certainly better than AJ, who was beginning to give him the creeps.

It didn't help that his heart was a fragile thing that slowly cracked every time he saw them together, and that he was so used to having Buck at his side almost all the time that him being distracted by someone else was a loss Eddie wasn't quite sure how to deal with.

Regardless, he and Christopher had Buck all to themselves on the Sunday, when they went to Knott's Berry Farm and spent the whole day eating and going on ride after ride. True to his word, Buck let Eddie make all the decisions – and his decisions were based on an emphasis of _fun_ – and by the end of the day, both Buck and Christopher wore matching expressions of worn out happiness.

When they arrived home, Eddie carried his tired son inside and hung out in the bathroom with him while he showered, before immediately putting him to bed. Christopher was asleep within minutes, and Eddie knelt on the floor and watched him for a while, brushing his fingers through his hair.

When he stood, he realised Buck was standing in the doorway, gazing in at them. Eddie flicked off the lamp and left the room, following Buck out to the kitchen.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked Buck, yawning as he opened the fridge in search of a bottle of water.

"I had the best day," Buck replied, pulling himself up onto the counter. "Spending time with my two favourite people."

Eddie smiled at him. "I thought we might've dropped down a rung or two."

"No. Never." Buck eyed him, and then said, "Eddie… I know you don't like him, and I don't know what to do."

"I don't know why you do like him," Eddie replied, sitting on the bench opposite Buck, and taking a swig of water. "He's kind of a jerk."

"He's not really. He's just intimidated by you."

He rolled his eyes. "You've said that before, and I have no idea why. I'm not doing anything special."

"You're kind of the station hero, I guess," Buck said with a shrug. "You're totally cool under pressure, all the time, and everyone likes you a lot… I don't think he's ever met anyone like you. I mean, I kinda know how he feels. I had no idea how to handle myself around you when we first met either."

Eddie smirked at him. "I mean, that day was hilarious."

"Embarrassing," Buck corrected, ducking his head.

"Nah, I thought it was funny. You know I don't get into that shit – competition? I don't care. I'm not there to compete with anyone. It's why I didn't get along with any of the guys at the academy. They all have something to prove, and… I don't have anything to prove to anyone. I just want to do my job as best as I can, and come home to my kid at the end of the shift. That's it."

"Yeah, but… that's why you're different," Buck said quietly. "I don't think he's ever met anyone like you before. I hadn't."

Eddie shrugged. "I don't care what he thinks, Buck. I don't really want to be his friend."

"But we're okay," Buck clarified. "If I'm hanging out with him sometimes, that's okay with you?"

"Of course, man. I'm not going to tell you who to be friends with," he said with a laugh. "You like him; you obviously like him for a reason, so… that's great. And maybe I'll change my mind. It's only been a week. I'm not one to hold grudges."

"No." Buck nodded at him and slipped off the counter. "Okay. I better go. I had an awesome day," he said, grabbing his keys and phone off the kitchen table.

Eddie slid off as well and followed him out to the front door. "Was it fun enough for you?"

Buck laughed as he shrugged into his jacket. "Eddie, you never have to worry about that," he said, glancing at him affectionately. "I'm never bored when I'm with you. Ever."

They smiled at each other, and again Eddie thought, _is this it? Is this the moment? Should I say something to him?_

But then AJ's face flashed into his mind, and the thought of having to compete with him for Buck's attention made his stomach flip, so he squashed the notion almost immediately.

Buck must have noticed his expression change because he took a concerned step towards him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just tired," he lied. "Go on. I'll see you at work in the morning."

Buck hesitated a moment longer, and then said, "Eddie, I—"

"Dad?" Christopher called from the bedroom. "Daddy?"

Christopher sounded like he was upset, and Buck immediately looked alarmed, turning towards the bedroom with concern. "Is he all right?"

Eddie nodded. "He's just worn out. It's okay; you go."

"Are you sure? I can stay if you need me to."

Eddie smiled gratefully at him. "No, it's really okay. He just wants a cuddle. I'll see you tomorrow." He squeezed his shoulder, and then hurried down the hall to Christopher's room. "You okay, buddy?"

Christopher was exhausted after the big day, and his muscles were aching. Eddie gave him some Tylenol and sat with him while he went back to sleep, carding his fingers through his curls, wondering what Buck had been about to say.

~

What started as dislike had blossomed into full-blown hatred after a few more weeks passed. Eddie could hardly stand to be in the same room as AJ, such was his discomfort around the guy, and he was feeling increasingly isolated at the station.

Everyone else seemed to think he was okay; that was the weird thing. He'd spotted Chimney joking with him, or Hen teasing him the way she did everyone else – and if Hen was teasing him, then it seemed like she definitely liked the guy. He'd caught Bobby and AJ in a serious discussion from time to time, and AJ had even begun to help him in the kitchen.

Eddie always made himself scarce when AJ was around, so he wasn't a hundred percent sure how everyone else felt, and he certainly wasn't going to ask them directly. That would only make him look bad, like he was the one with the problem, and AJ was just trying to be a nice guy.

He did begin to wonder if he'd completely misjudged him, but almost as soon as he'd had that thought, AJ proved him correct in his initial assessment. Whether it was a snide remark to him when they weren't in earshot of anyone else, or it was muscling in on his friends and taking over conversations, forcing Eddie to leave the communal areas, or to questioning him about how he was doing his job, he was constantly needling him about something. Eddie _hated him._

AJ was smart. He never said anything when Buck was around, or if the rest of the team were listening. That put Eddie in a tight spot – if he were to go to Bobby with his concerns, he would have no evidence. It was literally his word against AJ's, and therefore, he felt it was pretty pointless to make a complaint.

And because Eddie had never said anything to Buck, or made any kind of complaint, and he hadn't had a run-in with AJ since the bar – Buck and AJ still seemed to be getting along great, and as a result, Eddie and Christopher saw Buck less and less. He was always off doing something – hitting the bars, hiking or going to concerts. They even went skydiving one weekend.

Buck never cancelled plans with them – if he was invited over, he was there, as happy and present as always. They hardly spoke about AJ, except in passing, and Eddie never volunteered his opinion. It felt like something had shifted in their friendship – it was unusual for them to disagree over something, and AJ seemed to loom over them, always in the background.

Eddie wasn't sure if anybody else realised how much he was struggling or how unhappy he was. At work, he kept to himself. He inadvertently upset Bobby one night by not joining them for dinner, ducking down the street to grab a burger, just to get some space. It was Buck who was waiting for him when he returned, full of concern, and Eddie had to make up a story about needing to speak to his parents on the phone in private. Thankfully, everyone seemed to buy it – except Buck, who seemed skeptical.

As AJ's first month came to an end, Eddie came to the realisation that if AJ planned to stay at the 118 permanently, Eddie would have to leave. He wouldn't make a decision without speaking with Bobby and Buck first, but… it was obvious to him that they couldn't work together.

He sat down and spoke to Carla about it, who listened to him sympathetically, both hands wrapped around a cup of tea. "I don't think you should leave," she finally said. "I think you need to talk to Bobby. This like a workplace bullying thing."

"It's not though," he replied, glancing out to the living room to make sure that Christopher wasn't listening. "He's not technically bullying me. I just can't stand him. He's obnoxious – I don't know why I'm the only one who can see it."

"I'd bet good money that you're not alone in this opinion," she said wisely. "It's not gossiping if you sit down with Hen and Chimney to talk about how you're feeling. They're your friends. They'd want to know if you're struggling."

"I'm just scared they'll tell me he's really nice and I should get to know him, and I'm blowing things out of proportion."

"You're not. You told me what he said to you at the bar. He's a snake," she declared, and he laughed. "I'm telling you that they both will have noticed. You need to talk to them. And you can't abandon Buck."

"I kinda feel like he's abandoned me first," he murmured.

Carla raised an eyebrow at him. "Buck would be devastated to hear you say that. If you were to text him now and tell him you needed him, he'd be here in a flash," she predicted. "You need to talk to them, Eddie. Use your damn words like a big boy."

He grinned, embarrassed. "I just… I don't know."

"Well, give it another week. Talk to Hen and Chimney – and Buck," she said firmly. "If their answer is that he's a great guy and you're blowing it out of proportion, then you think about leaving. If that's what you really want."

"I want everything to go back to normal," he murmured. "I miss Buck."

She smiled sadly at him. "You have to talk to him about this, you know. He probably has no idea how you're feeling. It's Buck. He'd want to know."

He nodded – she was right. He would talk to them before making his decision, though later that night he did reach out to Lena to see if there were any spots available at the 136. She replied almost instantly – _I'll make room for you Diaz. I need a new sparring partner_

He laughed, and sent off a reply. _Didn't realise it was your decision to make._

_The Captain listens to me. Seriously though, there could be a spot opening up in the next couple of weeks. Armstrong is retiring. Could be a smooth transition if you were to come over_. _How does Buck feel about this?_

He cringed. _He doesn't know. Gotta talk to him._

Lena sent through a few laughing emojis, and followed them with – _Talk to Buck dummy, don't have another fight in a supermarket, that was embarrassing as fuck_

He sent her the middle finger in reply.

~

The following Saturday morning, Eddie was rolling hoses with Chimney when he heard a familiar voice calling for him. "Dad!"

"Ah, visitors!" Chimney exclaimed, immediately dropping what he was doing and turning to greet Christopher. "Hey, Christopher!"

"Hi Chimney!" Christopher called, holding onto Carla's hand as they made their way into the station.

Eddie immediately heard footsteps thundering down the stairs – Buck, no doubt. He swung Christopher up into his arms for a hug, just as Buck joined them breathlessly. "Christopher!" Buck exclaimed. "Hey, buddy."

"Hi Buck," Christopher replied, though both arms were locked around Eddie's neck in a tight hug.

"What are you guys doing here?" Eddie asked Carla.

"We're on our way to a birthday party, driving right by the station, and someone made me turn the car around so he could come in and see his Dad," Carla said affectionately.

"What time are you coming home?" Christopher asked him seriously.

"Not until tomorrow morning, buddy," he replied. "But you're going to have a great time at your sleepover tonight."

Christopher pouted, hugging him again. "Can Buck come over soon? For movies?"

"Definitely," Buck said enthusiastically. "We'll do it this week. I promise."

"Really?" Christopher asked him suspiciously. "You don't come over as much now."

Eddie saw Chimney and Carla exchange a look but rubbed Christopher's back reassuringly. "Go easy on Buck. He's a busy guy."

"Hey Christopher!" Hen called, leaping out of the back of the ambulance. "Denny's been asking when you're coming over again for a playdate."

Christopher looked at Eddie hopefully. "Soon?" he asked, and Eddie nodded with a smile.

"Yep. We'll definitely do that soon. Let me know when," he said to Hen, who ruffled Christopher's hair affectionately as she went past. "You want to give Buck a hug?" he asked Christopher, who nodded, and Eddie handed him over to Buck.

"Hey, I missed you," Buck said to Christopher quietly, who nodded and gave him a hug. "I promise I'll be around more."

"Don’t make promises you won't keep," Carla warned Buck, whose eyebrows flew up. "I mean it, Buckaroo."

He nodded, chastened, his eyes flicking to Eddie with concern.

"Who's this?" AJ's familiar, annoying voice came from behind them.

Carla arched her eyebrows at Eddie, who gave a quick nod. She gave AJ an appraising look, totally unimpressed.

"This is Eddie's son, Christopher," Buck replied. "The best kid in the world."

Christopher beamed at Buck, hugging him tightly.

AJ raised his eyebrows skeptically. "Cool. Nice to meet you guys."

"And you are?" Carla asked him coldly. Hen and Chimney exchanged a surprised look.

"I'm AJ. Are you Eddie's girlfriend?"

If he meant it as a joke, it bombed. Carla glared at him; Hen and Chimney backed away, their eyes wide, and Buck shot him a warning look.

"No, I'm not," she replied in a clipped tone, before turning her back on him pointedly. "All right, Christopher. We better let everyone get back to work. Your dad has a big day ahead of him."

"Have fun at your sleepover," Buck said to him, setting him down on the ground carefully. "I'll be over this week. I promise. Wednesday night."

"We're going camping, dude," AJ said to him. "Way more fun."

There was silence. Christopher looked up at Eddie, confused and upset, and Eddie said, "Whenever, Buck. It's okay. Come on, I'll walk you guys out."

"I'll come with you," Buck offered.

Christopher said unhappily, "No. Just Dad."

Eddie heard AJ snort with laughter, but Buck was horrified and trying desperately to disguise it. "Okay, Chris. I promise I'll be over soon."

"Okay," Christopher replied doubtfully, and let Eddie pick him up and carry him out of the station.

He followed Carla to her car, buckling Christopher into the backseat. Christopher was still looking upset, so Eddie said to him quietly, "Buck loves you. That hasn't changed."

Christopher nodded unhappily. "I miss him."

"I do too, but it's going to be okay. I promise." Eddie smacked a final kiss to his forehead. "Love you. Have a great time tonight."

"I love you too," Christopher replied softly.

Eddie brushed his hair off his forehead and straightened up. Carla was gazing at him with concern. "Are you all right?" she asked quietly.

He shrugged. "It's fine."

"Maybe you should talk to Bobby."

"What about? He hasn't done anything to me. He's just stolen my best friend, but… Buck's letting that happen, so…" he trailed off, biting his lower lip. "I should've told him."

"Oh, Eddie," she said quietly. "I feel like I talked you out of it."

"Maybe if I'd told him… it would be different. Better? Maybe?"

Carla rubbed his arm reassuringly. "Buck's not stupid. This guy – he'll see him for who he is. I promise."

"Will he? Everyone else seems to like him. I don't know what to do."

"Talk to Buck," she advised. "You have to."

"I just feel like it's pointless."

"That boy is your best friend. You need to talk it out with him."

He sighed. "Yeah, maybe," he murmured, as Buck appeared in the entrance to the station. "I really love him," he said without thinking, and then screwed his face up. "God damn it."

Carla gave him a hug. "It's going to be okay."

"God, I hope you're right. I'll see you tomorrow."

He watched them drive away, and was walking back up to the station when Buck jogged out to meet him, still confused and hurt. "Eddie, is Chris mad at me?"

Eddie sighed, resting his hands on his hips. "He's just not used to change, and you haven't been around as much. That's okay. You're an adult, and he's not your son. It's okay."

"I'm coming over on Wednesday night," Buck said firmly. "We have Thursday off. I'm coming over."

"I thought you were going camping."

He shook his head. "No, I'm coming to your house."

"If you want to go camping, it's fine."

"No."

Eddie sighed. "Okay. Whatever. If you're going to come over, that's fine, but don't cancel on me. He has his hopes up; he loves you. Okay?"

Buck nodded, biting his lower lip. "I'll be there. I promise. I hate it when he's mad at me."

"It's okay; it's fine," Eddie reassured him. "It'll be okay."

"God, you're this worried about a kid?" AJ asked from behind them, raising his eyebrows skeptically at Buck. "That's weird, man."

Buck grimaced. "That kid is one of the most important people in my life," he said flatly. "You don't know anything about it, so shut up."

AJ held his hands up, backing away. "Whatever. It seems stupid to me."

Buck turned his back on him, regarding Eddie seriously. "I'm sorry. I know I've been distracted, but I won't do that again. I'm coming over on Wednesday, and I'll cook. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Eddie replied. "You know you can come over whenever you want."

Buck's face lit up with a smile. "Okay. I'm gonna hold you to that."

~

That afternoon, Eddie ran the winch while Buck abseiled down the side of a cliff to rescue a hiker who'd fallen off the edge. There was no way to perform a helicopter rescue, so they sent down a basket after Buck, who strapped the hiker in and sent him back up.

Eddie was waiting for the okay to pull Buck back up to the top when AJ said from above him, "You know, your technique is all wrong. He was bumping into the cliff all the way down. Maybe you should let me do that; make it a smoother ride for him."

Eddie didn't notice the sharp look Chimney gave AJ, and said, "I'm good. Thanks."

"Like, have you ever done this before? Because your inexperience is showing," AJ continued. "I mean, it's okay if you don't want to take the critique, but like, he's going to be all banged up when you get him back up top."

It was Bobby who said sharply, "Eddie's fine, AJ. Go back to the truck."

"Eds, you copy?" Buck's voice came over the radio.

"Yep, go ahead."

"I'm ready to be lifted out – it's pretty windy so go slow, all right?"

"Copy that, Buck," he said. "You good to go now?"

"Yep," came the reply, and Eddie started the winch again, while Bobby and Chimney peered over the edge.

"How's he looking?" Eddie asked them.

Bobby gave him a thumbs up. "He's going slow and steady. Plenty of footholds. About thirty feet to go."

Eddie continued what he was doing, but AJ suddenly blocked his view of the edge. "Hey, you're going too fast, man," he said to Eddie. "Slow down. He's getting buffeted all over the place."

Eddie paused, and called Buck over the radio. "Buck, you good?"

"Yeah, why'd you stop?"

Eddie gave AJ a pointed look. "Will you get out of my way, man? I'm trying to do my job."

"You're not doing it very well," AJ muttered, and wandered away again.

Eddie shook his head, missing the look that passed between Bobby and Chimney, and called Buck again. "All right, starting now."

"Okay," Buck replied into the radio.

Eddie let out a breath, started the winch again, and guided Buck up and over the top of the cliff. Once he was secure and unbuckled from the ropes, he leaned over to squeeze Eddie's shoulders with both hands and said, "That was great. I hardly got knocked around at all."

Eddie nodded at him, patting his arm. "I got your back."

"Yeah, you do." Buck grinned at him, undoing his helmet. "Big day! I could go a burger."

"We could do burgers for dinner," Bobby said. "If that's what you want?"

"Sounds great," Buck replied, leaning on Eddie's shoulder. "Do you think the guy will make it?"

"Pretty severe injuries but he's got Hen with him, so…" Chimney shrugged. "I'd say there's a pretty good chance."

Buck squeezed Eddie's shoulder again and wandered over to remove his harness. Eddie was packing away the winch when he heard AJ say to Buck, "Hey, man. You work well under pressure."

He paused to listen. Buck replied, "No pressure; I had Eddie running the winch."

"Yeah, and he's not very good at it. Jerking you all over the place?"

There was a moment of silence, and Buck said, "No? It was fine. Pretty windy, but… that's not Eddie's fault."

"It's the technique he uses, I think, that doesn't really work for you."

He heard Buck snort with laughter. "Are you serious? You're seriously standing there and telling me that you don't think Eddie's good on the winch? He's been my partner for three years; we've never had an accident. Not once. Look, I know you don't like him, but don't make shit up. It just pisses me off."

"I'm not making shit up; other people were saying it."

"Yeah, I really doubt that, man."

Eddie jerked with surprise when someone touched his shoulder, and Chimney held a finger to his lips, leaning in to listen as well.

AJ let out laugh and said, "I'm just watching out for you. Didn't want you to get smashed up on the rocks."

"Eddie wouldn't let that happen." Buck's tone was clipped. "Drop it."

"Okay, man. Listen, when we go camping on Wednesday—"

"I'm not going camping; I already told you that. I'm going to Eddie's house."

"You're going to give up camping in Malibu for Eddie? Come on, man. You see him all the time."

"And we can go camping any time, but this is more important."

"Jesus, are you in love with the guy or something? Because I gotta tell you, Buck, you could do a lot better. Like, tons better than him."

There was silence. Both Eddie and Chimney were holding their breaths, listening.

Buck finally said, "There's no one better than Eddie. Like, no one. So… drop it."

"Jeez, you take things so seriously."

"You're being a dick," Buck said bluntly. "Cut it out."

"Okay, whatever. Jesus Christ." They heard AJ's footsteps crunch on gravel, and then Chimney turned to Eddie, raising his eyebrows.

"Trouble in paradise?" he whispered.

Eddie shrugged. "Buck's pretty forgiving."

"Mmm, his patience is wearing thin though," Chimney murmured, arching his eyebrows. "He was gutted this morning after Christopher turned him down. I can't believe Christopher was so savage."

Eddie chuckled. "You don't know him very well. He has a very sweet exterior but don't cross him."

Chimney grinned. "I know how much Buck loves you guys. He came over for dinner last week and pretty much all he talked about from start to finish was you. He doesn't know what's going on with you; why you've pulled away… we've all noticed it. You really hate that guy, don't you?"

Eddie nodded. "Honestly, I can't stand him. If he's looking at making the 118 his permanent home, I'm going to go elsewhere. I don't want to work with him."

A look of horror crossed Chimney's face. "Don't you dare."

"I can't be around him, man. You saw him today – he's always second guessing me. I was texting with Lena at the 136, and she says there's a spot open. I haven't told Buck; don't say anything to him."

"Did you talk to Bobby?"

Eddie shook his head. "No. I haven't told anyone but you."

"Talk to Bobby," Chimney said insistently. "I mean it. This guy isn't hanging around; there's no reason for you to leave. Eddie, please don't leave."

"I thought you guys all liked him," he said quizzically.

"No," Chimney said emphatically. "Hen and I have put in complaints. We thought you had as well."

"Complaints? What about?"

"The sexism, the tall tales, the obnoxious comments – and aside from that, the fact that he's truly terrible at this job and shouldn't be doing it," Chimney said bluntly. "You haven't noticed?"

"Of course I've noticed, but… Buck hasn't," he said helplessly. "I thought you guys hadn't noticed."

Realisation dawned on Chimney's face. "You're never there," he said, shaking his head. "You always leave, whenever he's with the group. You don't hear the conversations. Buck calls him out whenever he says something, and he fobs it off as a joke, but… it's not. I don't get why Buck hangs out with him."

"They're not talking," Eddie replied quietly. "Not like he and I do. It's about… doing stuff – the adrenaline shit, you know? And aside from that, from what I've seen, AJ is different around Buck. The night we got drinks, as soon as Buck left the table, it was like the switch was flipped. He was a completely different person."

Chimney heaved a sigh. "Eddie, fuck. We should've talked about this. You haven't put in a complaint about him?"

He shook his head. "I thought… I was alone. He says shit to me, but nobody is around, so… I didn't think I had a leg to stand on with Bobby."

"Are you kidding? It's Bobby – if you were to say something, he'd take it seriously. He always does – we all do. You're not a liar." Chimney gave him an apologetic look. "Fuck, man. I'm sorry you've been feeling like this. I thought you had your own shit going on and that was why you were so quiet. Sorry, Eddie. Hen and I have been plotting how to get rid of him since he got here."

"You should've told me!"

"You could've talked to us! We're not mind-readers, we're firefighters!"

"What's going on?" Buck asked as he stepped out from between the trucks. "Everything okay?"

Chimney closed his mouth and glanced at Eddie, who nodded and said, "Yeah, everything's great. Let's get back to the station."

Looking perturbed, Buck followed Eddie into the truck, and when they were settled beside each other he asked, "Are you sure everything is okay?"

Eddie nodded at him. "All good."

"I had no problems on the ropes today," Buck continued, studying Eddie anxiously, as though he was sure something was wrong but he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. "That wind was a killer, but you were as rock solid as always."

"Well, I've hoisted you enough; I think I've got a handle on it by now."

The others were settling into their seats, but Buck said quietly, "You're the only person I trust to do that."

Eddie gave him a long look. "Likewise."

Buck held out his fist, and Eddie bumped it with his own.

~

It was Bobby who took Eddie aside later that night, down to his office, ignoring Buck's questioning look. Eddie settled into the seat across from Bobby. "Chimney spoke to you," he guessed.

"He did, and Hen did as well, but I'm also pretty perceptive and I know what's been going on." Bobby leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk, and said, "He's not staying here permanently. I don't like him. I don't trust him. Both Hen and Chim have been complaining nonstop about him for the last month, and honestly, Eddie, I was waiting for you to come and talk to me. I know how unhappy you are."

Eddie exhaled, shaking his head. "I don't know. I just… I've been trying to get through it without punching him."

"And because you didn't want to upset Buck."

"Yeah, maybe. He likes the guy."

"Buck likes you a lot more. He came to me last week and fretted about how you were pulling away from him and he wasn't sure why, and he didn't know what to do…" Bobby shook his head tiredly. "I told him to talk to you, but I'm guessing he didn't."

"No."

Bobby gave him a long look, and then said, "Chimney told me you're thinking about leaving, even temporarily… listen. I don't like AJ either, and I'd rather have you here. I hate to think what Buck's reaction would be if you left, so – I'm transferring him to another station. Captain Wilson at Station 8 needs another big strong guy, and I've made the recommendation. I'm not sure how happy AJ will be with the situation, but I won't be telling him until it's final, which will be next week sometime. So keep this to yourself for now."

Eddie nodded slowly. "Okay. All of this for me?"

"Yep," Bobby said simply. "I don't want you to go anywhere, and I don't think you want to either."

He shook his head. "I really don't. I just thought everyone liked him."

"They can't stand him, but nobody could understand why you were being so quiet about it. Maybe you'll tell me why?"

He hesitated, and then said, "Look, I could've put in a complaint weeks ago, but… when he says stuff to me, no one else is around. No witnesses. Buck has no idea – and you know how he always sees the best in people… I just feel like, it's my word against his, and Buck's stuck in the middle."

"He'd believe _you_ , not AJ. I believe you."

"Yeah, but… it's not a position that I want to put Buck in. He needs to realise for himself that this guy isn't who he thinks he is… I think he is realising that," he said thoughtfully. "So maybe things will start to change. It's one of the reasons I love him so much, you know? He's just so good to people. Even people who don't deserve it."

"You're not mad at him."

Eddie shook his head. "No. He's not seeing what we're all seeing because AJ is on his best behaviour around him, so… I know it's not intentional. I know Buck will be upset when he finds out the extent of it. I know he doesn't condone any of that shit… and he'll figure it out. He's not dumb, at all. Just a little naïve sometimes."

Bobby gave him a long look. "You really care about him, don't you?"

"Yeah, I love him," he said, and when Bobby raised his eyebrows, clarified, "I mean – as a friend. So… yep."

"Right, as a friend," Bobby said dryly. "Okay, Eddie. This is just between us."

He nodded, and then said, "I should've talked to you sooner. I'm sorry. I just… it's not often that I don't get along with people, and this guy really seems to hate me."

"I don't think that AJ is used to not being the star of the show," Bobby said thoughtfully. "And he's come to a station where nobody really cares what kind of exploits he gets up to outside of work. He seems to thrive on competition and we're not like that. You're definitely not like that."

"I try not to be."

"No. So hang in there for me for another few days, and then he'll be gone. I promise."

Eddie smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks, Cap."

"No problem. I mean, Chim nearly gave me a heart attack when he told me you were thinking of leaving, so… I've got to do what's best for my team." Bobby nodded firmly. "So that's it. Go get some rest."

He left Bobby's office, shoving his hands in his pockets as he wandered back out into the station. It was a crisp night in Los Angeles, and everyone was up on the balcony watching a movie, so Eddie went outside and took a seat on the bench, breathing in the night air.

He wasn't on his own for long – a minute later Buck found him, and sat down at his side. "Everything okay?" he asked worriedly.

Eddie nodded at him. "Yep."

Buck's eyes lingered on him. "I miss you."

"You see me every day."

"It hasn't been the same." Buck stretched his legs out, looking up at the sky. "I'm sorry about AJ. I just… the guy I knew in New Orleans wasn't this guy. This guy is kind of a jerk."

"It's taken you a month to figure that out?"

Buck shook his head. "I was kinda hoping that if he settled in, and calmed down he'd realise that he didn't have to show off, or tell stories, but… that hasn't happened. And you just disappear whenever he's around… and I realised that there's nobody I'd rather be with than you, Eddie. You and Chris, at your house… it's my favourite place."

Eddie couldn't help but smile, ducking his head. "We've missed you too."

"Can I come home with you tomorrow?" Buck asked quietly.

He nodded. "Of course you can."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'd tell if you I was. You haven't done anything wrong."

Buck let out a trapped breath. "As long as we're okay, Eddie. That's all I care about."

Eddie nudged him with his shoulder. "We're fine. And Christopher will be over the moon if you come pick him up with me tomorrow. We could get pancakes afterwards."

"That sounds great," Buck said with relief.

"Good." Eddie checked his watch and sighed. "I'm going to try to get some sleep."

"I'll come with you. They're watching horror movies and you know I hate them."

They stood and went back into the station together, and into the bunk rooms downstairs. Eddie usually took the bed in the corner, with Buck next to him, so that was how they ended up. Eddie took his shoes off and lay down on the thin mattress, checking his phone before pulling the blanket up and over his shoulders. Buck settled in beside him, glancing over at him with a contented smile.

Eddie thought, _I'm going to tell him on Wednesday._

~

The alarms began to ring at 4am, snapping Eddie out of a deep sleep, and they quickly dressed before leaping into the trucks and heading to the call. It turned out that they weren't even really needed – the paramedics were able to swing into action – so Eddie hung out with Buck near the engines, making plans to take Christopher snorkelling up the coast.

That was where AJ found them, sidling in beside Buck. "What are you two doing?"

Buck glanced at him and said, "We're planning a trip. Snorkelling."

"Ooh, hardcore," AJ said sarcastically, and let out that annoying laugh of his. "Snorkelling? Really? You know I've been scuba diving on shipwrecks, right?"

"We're probably not going to take a ten-year-old scuba diving," Buck said dryly.

"No, of course not," AJ replied quickly. "So do you want to do something today? We could go for a hike, or even grab lunch and a beer somewhere – I know this great place where a bunch of chicks go, we could pick up. I know you've been on a dry streak for a while."

"I don't want to meet women," Buck said flatly.

"Well, you want to go to a gay bar or something? I'll be your wingman, it doesn't matter to me."

"No, I don't want to meet anyone. Thanks. I'm good; I'm hanging with Eddie and Christopher today."

"What are you guys getting up to then?" he asked, leaning over Buck.

Eddie glanced at Buck, who said, "Just hanging out at home. Nothing exciting. Family time."

"Family time, right." AJ raised his eyebrows at Eddie, and then shrugged. "Okay. Boring."

Buck had no reaction as AJ walked away, other than to knock his knee against Eddie's and hold his phone out again. "So it's like a four hour drive, right before San Francisco. See?"

So Buck had made his choice, and Eddie leaned against him companionably, and said, "Whatever you want, Buck."

Buck smiled warmly at him.

Eddie thought, _I'm going to tell him today._

~

After their shift, they swung in to pick up Christopher, who shrieked with delight when he realised Buck was there as well. Eddie drove them to their favourite pancake place, listening to Buck and Christopher chat excitedly to each other, as though it had been months since they'd last seen each other instead of just a day.

Eddie was hungry enough that he was able to put away a stack of pancakes, mostly listening to Buck and Christopher as they talked about their potential trip away. He thought about how right it felt when they were all together; how lost he'd been feeling the last few weeks with Buck distracted by someone else – and how guilty that made him, because at the end of the day Buck was his own person, and he was allowed to have other friends.

But sometimes Eddie wanted him just for himself.

With Buck still on an elongated volcanoes kick, the next stop was to the tar pits, and Eddie followed them around as Buck read facts and pointed things out to Christopher, who was totally engaged. Every so often one or both of them would look over at him with a huge smile, and he'd fight a lump in his throat and think, _I'm definitely telling him today._

But he chickened out again that night, too nervous to say the words out loud, and Buck took an Uber home early to catch up on some sleep. Eddie tucked Christopher into bed and curled up beside him with a book.

"Are you going to tell him, Dad?" Christopher whispered to him.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Do it soon."

"I will; I promise." Eddie brushed a kiss to his forehead.

"Be brave."

He let out a breathy laugh. "I will. Stop bossing me around."

"Never," Christopher said with satisfaction. "I just want you to be happy."

"I'm happy with you, kiddo."

"But we could both be happier." Christopher looked up at him earnestly. "Right?"

He nodded. "Right."

"So you tell Buck and then he can come live with us."

Eddie laughed. "We might let Buck decide for himself. He could say no to me."

"He won't, Dad. He loves you so much. He's always looking at you." Christopher clutched him a little tighter. "That's how I knew."

"Well, you're a lot smarter than me, kiddo."

~

Something was brewing at the station over the next couple of days. Eddie wasn't sure what had happened, but he definitely noticed the icy looks being thrown his way by AJ, who had taken to sulking with a few of his pals and not interacting with the rest of the team.

That was fine for Eddie, who felt much more relaxed when AJ wasn't around. Buck seemed on edge, and when Hen asked him point blank what was going on, he said, "He wants me to be someone I'm not. Or maybe I was that person five years ago, but I'm not anymore. And so… he thinks I'm lame, apparently. I don't know, and I don't really care." Buck gave Eddie a lingering look, and then sipped his coffee.

Buck had definitely figured it out. Eddie nudged him under the table with his knee, secure in the knowledge that AJ's time at the 118 was coming to an end.

He was going to tell him. Buck was coming over after work on the Wednesday, and Eddie was going to put Christopher to bed, sit Buck down on the couch, tell him he was in love with him, and then _hopefully_ furiously make-out with him for hours. That was the goal – he was determined to make it happen. He wasn't going to chicken out again; not this time. Not now that everything with Buck was back on track.

On Wednesday morning, the biggest call they'd had in months came through – a boy was missing in a wooded area in the Hollywood Hills, after being separated from his school group on an early morning excursion.

They arrived at the site, linking up with various other stations, police officers and volunteers. Athena was there, but she would likely be dealing with any media outlets which had turned up to stickybeak. The boy had been missing for over an hour, and an aerial search had revealed nothing. His name was Matthew, and he was wearing a bright red sweater and blue jeans.

Bobby gave them their orders – it was a grid search, covering five square miles. They had to be wary of several abandoned mine shafts in their search area, and nobody was quite sure where they were, or if they were properly sealed up.

Also, mountain lions, though Eddie was going to try to ignore that part.

Eddie set off in a group of six from the 118, including Buck, Chimney and AJ. They spent the morning hiking through the woods, calling Matthew's name, searching any suspicious caves or rock formations to see if he'd somehow become trapped. Eddie was on the far left of the pack, scanning the area for any kind of clues. AJ was nearby, and occasionally he heard Buck's voice ring out through the trees.

Around midday, Eddie paused to listen to the briefing over his radio – the boy was still missing, and they were to keep going. He downed some water and had a breather, and then checked to see where the rest of his group were – he'd fallen behind a bit, and could see Chimney about two hundred yards ahead of him, hands to his mouth as he called Matthew's name. Buck's voice echoed in the distance, but Eddie had lost sight of him.

Eddie started moving again, not watching where he was going, and his foot came down with a hollow thud. He stopped, confused, looking down, when the rotten wood beneath his feet gave way, and he fell into the abyss, too surprised to make a sound. He smacked into a rock wall on the way down, and landed at the bottom of a cavern with a muffled thud.

Everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Someone was shaking him.

"Hello," a small voice said. "Mister? Are you alive?"

Eddie groaned, blinking back into reality. "Christopher?"

"No. My name's Matthew."

He had no idea who that was and closed his eyes again. "Okay."

"Mister?" Matthew was patting his face gently. "You fell down a hole."

A hole… Eddie grimaced and finally opened his eyes fully, looking around. A small, scared boy was sitting beside him on his knees, wearing a torn red sweater. That detail was important, but he couldn't remember why… had he hit his head? "Who are you?"

"Matthew."

"Where am I?"

"In a hole. You were looking for me, I think."

It suddenly came flooding back, and Eddie groaned, slowly rising into a sitting position. "Are you okay?" he asked Matthew. "Are you hurt?"

Matthew shook his head, but said quietly, "I'm pretty cold."

Eddie nodded, slowly and painfully shrugging out of his jacket. He wrapped it around Matthew's shoulders, and then tried to call for help on his radio. "Cap, this is Diaz," he said hoarsely. "Do you copy?"

There was nothing but static. He peered up at the dim light trickling in from the hole above them – over thirty feet above them, which meant he had no reception. The next step was to yank his phone out of his pocket, praying for a miracle, but it had no signal either.

"Okay," he said with a grimace, trying to stand up. "Where are we?"

"In a hole," Matthew replied. "But I found you here. There's a tunnel." He pointed to a dark opening in the rock.

"And you fell as well?" Eddie asked, testing his weight on each leg.

"No, a boy dared me to walk into a cave and I did and I got scared and then I got turned around and I just kept walking and then I saw you fall."

"You saw me fall in?"

"Yes. I thought you were dead."

Well, he wasn't dead, but he was certainly going to be sore and covered in bruises. He'd also hit his head, and blood stained his fingers when he touched the wound. "I'm going to be okay," he said to Matthew, who looked relieved. "I'm Eddie, and I'll get you home to your Mom and Dad, all right?"

Matthew's lower lip trembled. "I want my Mom."

"I bet you do." Eddie gave him a hug, and then looked around the shaft again. "You said you came in through a cave, right?"

Matthew nodded again.

"How about we try to find our way out together?"

"It's dark and scary and there are spiders."

There were spiders, but Eddie was trying not to let that bother him. He was bruised and battered, but he could walk. If Matthew had found his way in, Eddie could find the way out.

"Come here," he said to Matthew. "Let me check to make sure you're okay. I've got some water – have a drink for me, all right?"

Matthew did as he was told. Eddie checked him over with his flashlight – some minor cuts and scrapes, but other than that, he was okay. Eddie examined the shaft they were in with his light and decided there was no way he'd be able to climb up and out. The walls were too steep and covered in moss, and trying to pull himself up would only exhaust him sooner.

He decided to leave markers for them to find their way back if they needed to, and pulled off his uniform shirt, tearing a piece of the back off and using his knife to slice it into ribbons. Matthew watched, huddled in Eddie's turnout coat, sniffling every so often. Eddie shoved the scraps of material in his pants pocket, left a scrawled note on a piece of paper in the bottom of the cave under his gloves, and then lifted Matthew up onto his back and carried him down the darkened tunnel.

Matthew clung to him; his face pressed against the back of Eddie's neck. The tunnel itself was terrifying for an adult, so he could only imagine how frightened Matthew must have been stumbling around in the dark. It was a long, straight corridor, with cobwebs and tree roots dangling from the ceiling. The floor was muddy; the walls covered in moss, and the wooden support beams were rotted and sagging. It smelled damp more than anything else, like wet soil and mud.

They came to a fork in the road, and Eddie shone his light down either side, before deciding to head right. He fastened one of his material scraps to the wall and continued, his boots sloshing through water as they delved further into the tunnel system.

After ten minutes they came to an abrupt dead-end – a cave-in – and backtracked to the fork, taking the left option instead. Eddie had no idea where he was going, stepping over tree roots, wading through knee-high water in some places, and dodging gigantic spiders dangling from the ceiling.

They'd been walking for a while when they came to another fork in the road, and he went left again, leaving a scrap of material behind. Matthew said, "I remember that," and pointed to a tree root sticking out of the wall.

"That's promising," Eddie replied, hitching him up on his back.

They continued on slowly, rounding curves and ducking every so often to avoid thick tree roots. They soon came to another fork, but Eddie felt they'd actually been climbing upwards, so after some investigation took the tunnel to the left again, leaving some material behind as a flag.

A few minutes later, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him as he realised he could see dim light in the distance. "I think we found it," he said to Matthew, and then let out an inadvertent yelp of surprise when his phone began to ring shrilly.

Eddie fumbled for it, Matthew still hanging onto his back, and sighed with relief when Buck's picture flashed on the screen. "Buck?!"

"Eddie!" Buck practically screamed into the phone. "Where are you? You've been missing for hours!"

"I fell down a mine shaft, but I have Matthew with me and we're both okay. We're nearly at the exit," he replied, ducking under another tree root before finally emerging into sunlight. "I have no idea where we are."

"Okay, keep your phone on; we're coming to you," Buck shouted. "I'm with the rest of the team. Just stay where you are, okay?"

"Can do," he replied wearily, setting Matthew down on a large, flat rock. "I'll be waiting. Bring some food and water, we're both pretty exhausted."

"Don't worry Eds, I'm coming to get you," Buck said fiercely.

Eddie was grinning as he ended the call, draping an arm around Matthew's shoulders. "That's my best friend. He's going to rescue us."

"And then I'll get to see my Mom," Matthew said with satisfaction.

"Yes, you will." Eddie gave him some more water, took a swig himself – he was feeling a little light-headed - and then examined their surroundings. "Hey, we're not too far from the walking track – it's just over there, see? Let's head up there together. Get up on my back again."

"Okay," Matthew agreed, clambering up onto his back again. "Let's go."

They had to take a meandering route through the trees in order to reach the path, climbing over boulders and dodging poison ivy, but once they emerged onto the dirt track, Eddie breathed a sigh of relief. He checked Google Maps on his phone, pinpointed their location and sent it to Buck, and then began to trek down the pathway towards civilisation.

They didn't have to walk far – once they rounded the corner, they spotted a small army heading for them. Buck shouted his name and then immediately broke away from the pack, sprinting towards him. Eddie stopped, helping Matthew down to the ground, straightening up just as Buck collided with him in a ferocious hug.

Eddie grunted with pain, but clung to him, nodding vigorously. "I'm all right; I'm okay."

"I'm sorry; I was too far ahead – I shouldn't have left you—"

"It's not your fault; it was an accident. I'm okay." Eddie patted him firmly on the back and then took a step back as the rest of the team arrived, immediately fussing over Matthew.

A blonde woman emerged from the group, crying, and Matthew screamed, "Mom!"

Eddie watched them embrace, leaning on Buck for support. He was feeling a little woozy, and Buck's arm went around his waist, eyes trained on him with concern. "I need to sit down," Eddie said to him, black spots dancing in front of his eyes.

"Bring a stretcher for Eddie!" Buck called to Chimney, who nodded and hurried to bring one forward. "Are you okay? Eds? Are you hurt?"

"My head's spinning."

"Here, Buck," Chimney said, and they both helped Eddie to sit down. "You hit your head, Eddie? There's blood all down your back."

"Yeah, when I fell." He rubbed his eyes. "God, I'm tired."

"Hang on buddy, we're taking you to the hospital."

"What happened to your shirt?" Buck asked, puzzling over the torn material.

Eddie produced the torn strips from his pocket. "Markers, for the tunnel. So we could find our way back to the mine shaft if we needed to."

"Smart," Chimney commented, checking his pulse. "I think you're dehydrated, buddy. We'll get you into the ambulance and hooked up to some fluids."

Eddie gave a tired thumbs up. "Sounds good."

Bobby leaned over him then, wagging a paternal finger in his face. "How many times have I told you not to go into tunnels?"

He laughed. "More than enough. Sorry, Cap. The ground just gave out under me."

"That's okay, Eddie, but if you make a habit of this I'm going to make sure you and Buck are roped together at all times."

"Fine by me," Buck remarked.

Eddie was too tired to argue. He zoned out as they were wheeling him down the path, though he did notice AJ trailing behind with a scowl on his face.

~

He had a mild concussion, but he'd guessed as much, and he needed a couple of stitches in the back of his head. Buck hovered around anxiously, unwilling to leave his side, and Eddie found himself constantly reassuring him. "I'm okay; it's fine. You can go."

Buck just shook his head, chewing on his lower lip as he watched the nurses tend to him. When Eddie was bandaged up, and the rest of his scrapes and bruises attended to, he was stuck waiting for a doctor to sign off on his release, practically dozing on the hospital bed with Buck steadfastly at his side.

Bobby entered the room, checking his watch. "They sure do like to take their time," he commented, pulling a seat up to the bed. "How are you feeling, Eddie?"

"A lot better," he replied, gesturing to the IV drip still in his arm. "And Buck got me some food."

"Yeah, well, Buck was frantic, so…" Bobby trailed off, raising his eyebrows at Buck, who blushed and looked away. "Making a habit of that."

"He keeps falling down things," Buck protested. "What am I supposed to do? Not react?"

Eddie gazed at him affectionately and thought, _I'm definitely telling him today._

"Maybe just cool it when the media are around, huh?" Bobby asked good-naturedly. "Listen – Eddie, I think it's safe to say that if you hadn't fallen down that mine shaft we might never have found him."

"I don't think so, Cap. He was pretty tired and cold; he'd been wandering around aimlessly for a while."

"So it's a good thing," Bobby said to Buck, who nodded, his eyes trained on Eddie. "And you did great. Kept your cool and found the way out. I'm proud of you."

Eddie shrugged, embarrassed. "I shouldn't have fallen down there to begin with, but I'm glad I did. How's Matthew doing?"

"Really well; he'll be discharged pretty soon. His parents want to thank you profusely, I think, and I know Matthew wanted to see you again. I just want to ask you one question – where was AJ when you fell?"

Buck gave Bobby a sharp look. Eddie thought for a moment and said, "I don't remember seeing him nearby. I don't know where he was. I remember seeing Chimney ahead of me, and I could hear Buck, but I didn't see him."

Bobby nodded, as though that confirmed his suspicions. "All right, Eddie. You should be out of here soon – get some rest, take a couple of days and let me know when you're ready to dive back in."

"Will do, Cap," he said.

~

Eddie was discharged half an hour later, and he ignored Buck's multiple offers to push him in a wheelchair. Before they left the hospital, he checked in with Matthew and met his grateful parents, and then headed out to the front of the building. Eddie took a seat on a bench, yawning widely, and Buck stood over him and ordered an Uber, which took no time at all to arrive.

They decided to head to the station to pick up Eddie's truck – Buck had told Bobby that he wouldn't be back to work for the rest of the day – and it was as they were grabbing their bags from the locker room that they heard shouting from outside.

"This is bullshit!" AJ's voice reverberated through the station. "You're blaming me? I did nothing wrong! I was searching for the kid; I wasn't meant to be keeping an eye on where Diaz was putting his feet!"

"We're all meant to look out for each other and ensure our own safety," Bobby argued. "You're not the only person on this team! Eddie could have died."

"That's not my fault! He's the one who fell!"

"You were the closest—"

"This is bullshit! You're just looking for someone to blame!"

They came into view near the trucks. Bobby's arms were folded across his chest. "I know what you were doing. You stopped for a cigarette."

AJ gaped at him. "I'm not allowed to smoke now?"

"Not on the job! Not when we're searching for a missing child! Not when you're supposed to have your wits about you!"

"I stopped for one minute!"

"One minute can be the difference between life and death. We rely on each other to stay safe, and you're a break in the chain."

AJ groaned. "So you're firing me?"

"No, I'm transferring you. I've told you time and time again that you have to drop this attitude; that you can't alienate people the way you have—"

"It's not my fault that everyone here is fucking _lame_ ," he retorted. "We do the coolest job in the world and this is the most boring station I've ever been to! And you won't even give me a chance! Diaz falls down a hole and you still like him better than me!"

"Eddie's not the problem here. You are."

"You just can't help but play favourites," AJ shot back.

"I'm not playing favourites. I've had a number of complaints about you and I told you that," Bobby said flatly. "I'll be telling Captain Wilson about this and he can decide what to do with you when you join his station."

"Whatever," AJ said, disgusted, and stalked away from Bobby.

Bobby exhaled slowly, closed his eyes briefly, and then walked up the stairs to where Hen and Chimney were waiting.

Buck turned to Eddie with high eyebrows. "He's being transferred?"

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, that's what Bobby told me on last week."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was sworn to secrecy."

Buck looked confused. "Did you make a complaint?"

Eddie shook his head. "No. Honestly, I was looking at transferring, and Bobby… told me he'd get rid of AJ."

"Transferring," Buck repeated, as though he couldn't believe it. "You… were going to leave me?"

"Only temporarily, until he was gone."

"But you were going to leave me," Buck repeated, his voice tight. "You weren't even going to talk to me about it."

Eddie lifted his shoulders helplessly. "I hadn't made a firm decision. I just… I can't work with him. I don't want to be around him. He's awful, Buck."

"But… we're partners," Buck said numbly. "You were going to leave me without telling me."

"I hadn't made a decision," he insisted, wrapping his fingers around Buck's wrist. "I wouldn't have decided anything without talking to you first. I promise. You're my partner."

"Lena," Buck guessed, swallowing hard. "Right?"

"Yeah."

"But you're not going anywhere now."

"No." Eddie took a step closer to him, gazing up into his eyes, and said quietly, "The last thing I ever want to do is abandon you. I was going to talk to you about this, but… Bobby made it so I didn't have to make the decision."

"You know I'd go with you," Buck said numbly. "If you wanted me to."

Eddie shook his head. "I'd never ask you to."

"But I would." Buck slid his hand down Eddie's arm and squeezed his fingers. "Come on. I've got to get you home."

~

Eddie was going to tell him – he just hadn't counted on how bone-tired he was. He hadn't pre-warned Carla, and so she was surprised when they walked in a few hours earlier than usual, and he left Buck to talk to her while he showered and then collapsed on his bed.

That was where Christopher found him, crawling beside him, and resting his head on Eddie's chest. "You okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy." Eddie brushed his fingers through his hair. "Long day."

"Did you really save a little boy today?"

"I did. Did Buck tell you that?"

"Yeah." Christopher hugged him awkwardly. "You're like a superhero."

"No, just got lucky today. That's all."

"I want to be like you and Buck when I grow up."

Eddie smiled sadly, clasping Christopher's small hand in his. "You know you're the bravest person we know, and that we get our courage from you."

"I don't think I'm that brave."

"Oh buddy, I know you are." Eddie shifted on his side, tucking Christopher in against him. "I'm gonna have a nap, okay? You want to stay with me for a while or go see what Buck is doing?"

"Buck's there," Christopher said, and Eddie realised Buck was leaning in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest. "He wants to come give us a hug."

Eddie laughed, and without really thinking about it, held out his arm. That was all the invitation Buck needed, and soon he was practically lying on top of them, his head resting on Eddie's shoulder.

"Just so you know," he said to Eddie, who turned his head slightly, "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."

Eddie smiled at him, and thought, _I should tell him now._

But he didn't – he was too tired to think about _that_ , and fell asleep with Buck's heavy weight on top of him. Kind of a nice way to drift off, really.

~

Eddie was off work until Monday, spending most of his time chilling out with Christopher, who was more than happy to have him home for a few days. His injuries were pretty minor, and he considered himself lucky – other than the injury to his head, he was covered in bruises, but that was about it. He was stiff and sore for a few days, so he and Christopher took it easy, spending most of their time watching movies together. Buck spent his day off with them, fussing over Eddie until both Eddie and Christopher told him to quit it, and then he settled into his spot on the couch, pulled a giggling Christopher onto his lap and said firmly, "Let me take care of you guys, god damn it."

Eddie gave in after that, and let Buck do whatever he wanted, which included cooking breakfast for dinner. Christopher loved it and decided he wanted to have it once a week, and Eddie just shook his head wearily at Buck, who couldn't stop grinning.

He thought about telling him again, but held off. He was a chicken – he knew that – but… it didn't feel right. They were finally returning to normal, so he didn't want to disrupt anything with his pesky feelings.

Eddie was also happy to have time away from the station, though updates came through thick and fast from Hen and Chimney – AJ was pretty vocal about his unhappiness; he felt that he was being unfairly blamed for something that was entirely Eddie's stupid fault (and really, Eddie _had_ fallen down a mine shaft, and that wasn't AJ's fault) and that Eddie should have been the one being punished.

Eddie heard all of this via Hen and Chimney – Buck mentioned nothing about it, though he was aware that things were strained between Buck and AJ as well.

It was on Saturday afternoon, as he was attempting to teach Christopher Monopoly (so they could team up and destroy Buck) that he received the first of a barrage of texts from Hen and Chimney in their group chat:

Hen: _IT'S BLOWING UP. AJ AND BUCK ARE ARGUING IN THE KITCHEN._

Chimney: _Buck just laid the truth bomb on him OH BOY_

Eddie pictured them sitting across from each other on the couches, furiously texting, and bit back a laugh.

Christopher suddenly gasped. "Jail? _Again?!_ Dad! I hate this game!"

"Roll a double and we'll break you out," Eddie replied – he was determined to let Christopher win, though that was proving difficult.

Another flurry of texts rolled in.

Hen: _Buck just told him that he was an asshole to his face_

Chimney: _Buck is ON FIRE TODAY WOW I wish you were here Eddie this is quality entertainment_

Eddie replied with: _Someone tell me what Buck's saying_

Christopher rolled the dice and let out a frustrated grunt. "This is so stupid."

"You can pay money to escape now, if you want. Fifty bucks."

Christopher looked at the cash in front of him, chewing his lip, and said, "No."

"Okay."

Chimney replied with: _Ok so AJ started whining to Buck about how it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't be blamed, and that he has an addiction and he needs to smoke, and Buck said that he didn't care and you should always have a visual on where your teammates are, and then AJ called you stupid_

There was pause, and Eddie took his turn at the game, and promptly landed on one of Christopher's properties. Christopher was silent, and so Eddie passed him the dice, and he took his turn.

"So here's a lesson," Eddie said to him seriously. "I landed on your property, right?"

"Yeah?"

"You should've asked me for rent money."

Christopher's brow furrowed. "But… you can pay me now?"

Eddie shook his head. "You've taken your turn, so it's not my turn anymore, and you missed out because you didn't ask."

Christopher gasped. "What?!"

"You have to ask; those are the rules."

"I hate this game!"

Eddie chuckled. "Yeah, everyone does, but you gotta learn so we can destroy Buck together."

"This game is mean," Christopher groaned, and then realised he'd rolled a double. "I'm free!"

Hen's next text popped up: _So then Buck called AJ stupid and told him he was a jerk, and that they weren't friends and he should go away, which was ice cold but SO GREAT_

Chimney: _And then Buck said that AJ was never going to be good at his job until he stopped putting himself first and started thinking about other people, and that he got into it for all the wrong reasons and he would end up getting himself or someone else killed one day – MEANWHILE BOBBY IS LISTENING ON THE STAIRS_

Hen: _And then AJ told him he was a boring loser and Buck said that he'd rather be a boring loser than AJ's friend BURN_

Chimney: _And then AJ started bitching about how he'd changed and he wasn't fun or cool anymore, and Buck told him he was an asshole_

"Dad, can I buy this property?" Christopher asked suddenly, pointing to Pennsylvania Railroad.

Eddie nodded. "You've got the money, you can buy it – but remember, you can't put houses or hotels on a train station, but if I land on it I have to pay you rent."

Christopher contemplated that, and then nodded. "I'm buying it!"

"Okay, deal."

Chimney: _And then AJ got really serious and was like, I thought we were friends, I don't understand why you're being such a dick and Eddie you won't believe what Buck said_

Eddie replied with, _SO TELL ME._ He tapped his fingers on the screen anxiously, awaiting the reply.

Christopher nudged him. "Your go!"

"Oh right, sorry." Eddie rolled the dice and moved the car four spaces. "Okay, I passed Go, so I get $200. And I landed on one of your properties."

"Rent!" Christopher demanded, holding his hand out.

Eddie passed him ten bucks. "So when you own both of these properties, you can charge more rent. See?" He showed him the card, and Christopher nodded seriously.

"When can I put a house on it?"

"When you own both of the brown ones. Only when you have all the properties in their matching colour. See, Buck does this thing where he buys one of each property and then refuses to make deals, but when we team up to beat him, we'll make sure he doesn't do that."

Christopher eyed him. "Isn't ganging up on Buck wrong?"

"Not when we play board games with him. Your turn."

Chimney's next message popped up. _Buck said that he was being a dick because AJ didn't seem to get it, and he didn't want to be friends with someone who was constantly talking shit about his best friend (YOU) and that he'd rather spend time with people he actually liked. And AJ told him he was a tool and Buck just said that they're done and he wanted AJ to leave him the fuck alone – HE SAID THAT_

Hen: _ICE COLD. SERIOUSLY NO EMOTION. BUCK IS SO DONE WITH HIM._

Buck popped into the chat and said: _Hi I'm in this group too_?

Eddie was chuckling as Hen responded with a crying laughing emoji and Chimney immediately sent through the middle finger emoji.

Hen: _Glad you finally told him off, it's about time_

Chimney: _TEAM BUCK_

Buck: _I'm going to remember you said that Chim, best day of my life_

Chimney: _I'm officially off Team Buck now_

Eddie snorted and sent through a laughing emoji, totally amused.

"What's going on?" Christopher asked him curiously.

"Oh nothing, everyone's having fun at work without me." Eddie set his phone down and smiled at him. "But I'd rather be here with you. Okay, let's keep going. You're doing really well, you know."

"I am?" Christopher looked down at his collection of cards and money. "Really?"

"Yep, you're going to be a whiz at this in no time."

"And we're going to beat Buck?"

Eddie nodded vigorously. "We're going to destroy him."

~

Buck arrived in the early evening, just as Eddie was packing away the Monopoly board. "What's this?" he asked suspiciously. "You guys played without me?"

"Yup," Eddie said smugly.

"Eddie, you better not be teaching Christopher—"

"He's got to learn from the best."

"That's me, not you!"

Eddie shook his head. "Nope. I'm teaching him."

Buck sighed. "Where is he, anyway?"

"He's talking to his grandparents on the phone in his room." Eddie tucked the Monopoly box with the rest of the board games, and sat down at the table again. "Big day?"

"Yeah, well, you heard what happened." Buck dropped his bag near the couch and said in a rush, "I'm really sorry if you thought that I was abandoning you the last few weeks. I got caught up with having a new person in my life, and like, I get why you were thinking about transferring. I mean, I guess it had to do with me as well."

Eddie shook his head at him. "That had nothing to do with you. I'm not mad at you and I never was – you're allowed to have other friends. And he was different around you than he was around me."

"Yeah, I get that now… I feel like I was caught up, and thinking he was still that great guy I knew before, when really… he's a liar, and an asshole, and… I feel dumb that everyone saw it before I did," Buck admitted, his eyes downcast. "And he alienated you, and you're the most important person in my life."

"He was trying to win you over and it didn't work. You're more intelligent and empathetic than he will ever be, and you don't need to feel guilty for trying to be friends with someone."

"I do though, because… of you." Buck shrugged at him. "I should've realised."

"It's okay; I didn't talk to you about it."

"We can always talk about everything. Why didn't you tell me what he was doing to you behind my back?"

He paused, and then said, "I was scared you wouldn't believe me."

Buck swallowed hard. "Eddie… you've never lied to me. Ever. I would've believed you."

"I know that now." Eddie smiled at him sadly. "Listen, after… the lawsuit thing, I told myself that if I was ever angry with you, I'd talk to you about it. I never want to get to the point where I'm yelling at you in a supermarket again, you know? I still feel bad about that."

"You do?" Buck asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, because… it was totally unfair of me to do that and I said a lot of things I regret, and I know we've talked about it a bunch so I'm not going to go over old ground, but… if for some reason I'm mad at you, I'll never blow up at you like that ever again. I'll talk to you. And I haven't been mad at you, at all."

Buck swallowed hard. "When you told me you were thinking of transferring, it scared the crap out of me."

Eddie shook his head. "It's been a really miserable work environment the past month. And I missed you."

"I missed you," Buck said emphatically. "The more I hung out with him the more I realised that we had nothing in common."

"You've grown up."

"Yeah, a lot." Buck looked around the house and said, "Eddie, I really want to talk to you about something, but like… in private, okay? Can we… grab a drink or something this week, just the two of us?"

He nodded, surprised. "Sure."

"Okay. I think I hear the kid," Buck said, and sure enough Christopher emerged from the hallway, and Buck immediately swung him up for a hug. "Hey buddy. Did your dad teach you the wrong way to play Monopoly?"

"No, we're going to _beat you_ ," Christopher exclaimed. "Right, Dad?"

Eddie grinned. "That's right. Diaz versus Buckley."

Buck raised his eyebrows. "I think I can handle the both of you."

~

Eddie was back to work on the Monday, and he was counting down the days until AJ was gone from his life forever – his last shift with the 118 was on Friday, and then he was someone else's problem. Thankfully, he was mostly avoiding everyone, and aside from casting Buck bitter looks, he'd made no attempt to interact with them.

It had been a busy day – non-stop calls in the morning and into the early afternoon, and they finally had a breather to relax and recharge. Eddie was beside Buck on the couch, zoned out to _Friends_ on Netflix with Chimney guffawing in the seat across from him, shoving popcorn in his mouth. Hen was in the kitchen, working on her laptop, and the rest of the team were relaxing around the station and waiting for the alarms to ring again.

Buck was engrossed in the book Eddie had bought him about the Krakatoa explosion, and letting out awestruck noises every so often. It felt almost like it was pre-AJ, and that Buck was back to his normal self. For that, Eddie was grateful.

"So," Buck suddenly said to Eddie, sitting up in his seat, turning to him with wide eyes, "when the eruption of Krakatoa happened, they could hear it in Perth, Australia, which was over 3,000 kilometres away. That's 1,864 miles. That's like… Los Angeles to St Louis. You're in St Louis and you hear the explosion from LA – that's amazing. Don't you think?"

Eddie smiled affectionately at him. "Yeah, it's pretty wild."

"And then," he continued, turning the page in his book, "the eruption darkened the skies for months afterwards, and caused spectacular sunsets all over the world. This one eruption in Indonesia, and people were feeling the effects of it in North America and Europe – like, can you imagine if something like that were to happen now? And not only that, but the resulting tsunamis, and earthquakes – and the amount of people who live in Indonesia and Malaysia and—"

"What are you talking about?" AJ asked derisively from behind them - and just like that, the pleasant mood was shattered.

Buck looked up at him with surprise. "Volcanoes?"

"Are you still going on with this shit? Jesus Christ," AJ remarked. "Are you on the spectrum or something, Buck? You never used to be this much of a nerd."

Buck closed his mouth, the book slipping from his fingers. Eddie watched the light drain from his eyes, and something in him snapped. "Why don't you just shut the fuck up?" he asked bluntly, as Hen gasped from the kitchen. "Nobody cares what you think. Nobody cares what's cool and what's not. Nobody cares if Buck wants to tell us volcano facts, okay? At least he has interests that aren't just to do with how many women he can fuck or what adventure sport he can try next. Will you just shut up?"

AJ let out a laugh, turning to Eddie gleefully. "Oh wow – you really are in love with him, aren't you?"

Buck looked at Eddie sharply. Eddie rose to his feet. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"It just explains so much, but what I can't understand is why anyone would want to waste their time with someone as repressed and boring as you. I bet you've never had fun in your life; you don't even know the meaning of the word. You just eat your same boring cereal every day, drink your same boring cup of black coffee with one sugar, and tell yourself that life has meaning when it's about taking care of your kid, when in reality, that's all you have. If you didn't have your kid, you'd have nothing, and nobody would want to be around you."

"Whoa," Chimney said sharply, standing beside Eddie. "What the fuck?"

AJ shrugged. "I call it like I see it."

"Nobody asked you!" Buck exploded at him, slamming his book down on the table. "I don't know why the hell you have it in for Eddie, but shut the hell up."

"Or what, you'll dump me as your friend again?" AJ mocked him. "You know, you were a cool guy once. I don't know what the fuck happened."

"I grew up, and you should too." Buck folded his arms over his chest. "Seriously, man – you've been a dick this entire time. What, you threatened or something?"

AJ flinched, and then quickly recovered. "No, of course not!"

_He was._

"It kinda seems like you are," Buck said snidely. "You've had it in for him since day one."

"Yeah, well…" AJ trailed off, gritting his teeth. "I remember what a dick he was at the academy."

Almost in unison, Buck and Chimney turned to Eddie, who was totally confused. "What? I wasn't with you at the academy."

AJ rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you were. I guess you were too busy being a hotshot to pay attention to the rest of the people around you."

Eddie took a good look at AJ's face, and then it hit him. They _had_ gone through the academy together, with about forty other people. He hadn't remained in touch with any of them – and not that he had anything to apologise for, but he'd been under a lot of stress during that period of time. They'd just moved to LA; they were looking for a school and a house, his parents were still giving him grief… he hadn't made friends with _anyone,_ but he hadn't intentionally been a jerk. He was just focused.

And then he realised what it was – jealousy. AJ was jealous. Eddie had graduated top of the class, and AJ was still _jealous._

Eddie said, in a voice filled with pity, "You really are pathetic."

AJ recoiled as though he'd been slapped. "Excuse me?"

"You're pissed at me because I wasn't friends with you, and I'm guessing because I was probably better than you as well. I'm guessing you had no job offers afterwards and were assigned to a station, and I had multiple captains trying to get me on their team. It's pathetic," he spat. "We all do the same job. We're all on the same team. There shouldn't be constant competition – how can you work together if you're always fighting against each other? If you can't see that, and you can't get over your own insecurities, you will never be good at this job. Ever."

AJ's face twisted into a scowl. "I have no interest in being lectured by _you._ "

"In that case, why don’t you leave me the fuck alone?" Eddie hissed.

"I just think it's real funny that this fuckin' hotshot wonder boy was hiding a special needs kid at home—"

Eddie's vision went black. He lunged for him, but was immediately pulled back by Chimney, who wrapped his arms around his chest and physically hauled him over to the TV. "No!" Chimney shouted. "Don't. You'll get suspended. Don't, Eddie."

Breathing heavily, Eddie nodded, clenching and unclenching his fists.

AJ was laughing at him. "Oh man, you're fucking hilarious. That day your kid walked in here all daffy was the funniest fucking thing. I had no idea your kid was a r—"

His voice cut off abruptly when Buck, out of nowhere, pulled back his fist and punched him in the jaw. AJ stumbled backwards, crashing into the stools around the kitchen island, and sank to the floor. At the dinner table, Hen rose to her feet, her mouth hanging open.

"Holy shit," Chimney breathed. "Buck, what the hell?"

Buck met Eddie's eyes, and they had a silent conversation. Christopher was the line, and AJ had crossed it. Eddie nodded at him, still shaking with anger.

"Buck!" Bobby exclaimed from behind them, and Buck whirled around, clutching his fist to his chest. "What'd you do?!"

"I'm sorry," Buck said instantly, and began to stammer. "I'm so sorry, Cap. He was about to call Christopher a – well, you know, and I just… nobody talks about Christopher like that, he means _everything_ to me, and I know it was wrong, and I'll never do it again and I'm sorry."

Bobby heaved a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Go wait in my office."

Buck cast a guilty look in Eddie's direction, and hurried down the stairs, still rubbing his hand.

Bobby helped pull AJ to his feet, examined his jaw and said, "You deserved that. Go wait downstairs – do not approach Buck. Do not talk to him. If you say anything to Buck, you're fired. Go."

AJ nodded silently, his hand pressed to his cheek, and started down the stairs.

"Chim," Bobby said, tilting his head to his office. "With me."

"Yes Cap," Chimney replied, grimacing at Eddie before following him downstairs.

Eddie let out a breath.

When they were alone, Hen waved her hands over her head and mouthed, ' _WHAT THE FUCK?!'_

He just shrugged at her, and sat down heavily on the couch, willing his heart to stop pounding in his chest.

~

Buck was suspended for four days without pay. He left before Eddie had a chance to say anything to him, though he received a text later that afternoon from Buck saying that he was going to Eddie's house to hang out with Christopher for the afternoon.

AJ wasn't suspended, but he was written up, and Hen had to tend to his bruised jaw in the ambulance. Bobby gave him the option to take a few days and leave immediately, which AJ accepted. He packed his locker silently, and without saying goodbye to anyone, walked out of the station and out of their lives.

After he was gone, Bobby pulled Eddie into his office and said, "Chimney told me what was said. I'm sorry I didn't get rid of him sooner."

"It's not your fault."

"It is." Bobby leaned on his desk, giving Eddie a long look. "Is he the first person you've come up against who has been so openly threatened by you?"

"Buck was for a few hours on my first day," he said dryly.

Bobby laughed. "No, that was just Buck falling head-over-heels in love at first sight."

"No," he objected, shaking his head. "It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" Bobby gave him a knowing look. "Buck loves you, and you love Buck. We can all see it. I don't know what the hold-up is."

There was no point in arguing, so he shrugged and murmured, "I just… it's big. You know? It's going to change both of our lives forever. I'm a little scared to… step over the edge with him. The last time I tried… I was rejected."

"That was Shannon, and this is Buck," Bobby said gently. "Two very different scenarios. I think you know that Buck is all in with you and Christopher. I get that you're scared, but Eddie… life is short, and you have a tendency to fall into holes. Maybe you should tell him."

He laughed, rubbing the still-healing wound at the back of his head. "Yeah. You're right. I need to take a leaf out of Christopher's book and be brave."

"Trust me," Bobby said, tilting his head towards the family photo on his desk. "It's the best thing you'll ever do."

~

Bobby's words were still ringing in his head as Eddie headed home, after swinging in to grab a couple of pizzas for dinner. Buck's jeep was in the driveway when he arrived, and he entered the house to find Buck and Christopher on the floor together, building houses with Lego, having already sent Carla home for the day.

"Hey guys," Eddie greeted them, juggling the pizza and a six-pack of sodas as he kicked his shoes off. "Buck, come talk to me in the kitchen."

"Dad!" Christopher exclaimed, holding his arms out, and so Eddie set everything down on the table before kneeling to give him a hug and a kiss.

"Did you have a good day at school, buddy?"

"Yeah, it was great," Christopher replied. "Look what we built!"

"That's awesome," Eddie said, admiring the little village they'd created. "Let me talk to Buck for a few minutes, and then we'll have dinner, okay?"

"Okay," Christopher agreed.

Eddie ruffled his hair, and then led Buck into the kitchen. Buck leaned against the counter, chewing his lower lip, guilt written all over his face. "I'm sorry; I wasn't thinking, I just—"

Eddie cut him off with a kiss.

Buck gasped against his lips, and returned the kiss eagerly, cupping the back of Eddie's head and pushing him up against the cupboards on the other side of the kitchen. Eddie parted his lips and shivered at the first touch of Buck's tongue, clutching him as he poured three years of emotion into the greatest kiss he'd ever had in his life.

Buck pulled away briefly and whispered, "You too, huh?"

Eddie nodded breathlessly. "I've been trying to tell you."

"I've been trying to tell _you._ " Buck kissed him again enthusiastically, sliding his hands across Eddie's back. "Oh my god, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

"Almost as long as me," Eddie murmured, pressing his lips to the corner of Buck's mouth and then pulling him in for a hug. "God, Buck."

"I've been such an idiot. Maddie's been yelling at me for weeks—"

He snorted with laughter. "Maddie has?"

"Yeah, she's mean when she wants to be." Buck pulled away, sliding his hands up and down Eddie's arms. "He said today that you're in love with me—"

"He was just being a jerk, but yeah – I am," Eddie admitted, cupping Buck's cheek. "I am in love with you."

Buck beamed, leaning in to kiss him again eagerly. "Wow, wow, wow," he murmured, their chests pressed together, arms wrapped around each other. "God, this is amazing."

"I should've done this months ago," he murmured against Buck's lips. "I was going to tell you; I kept wanting to tell you—"

"And you saw me take a swing at that jerk today and knew that I was the one?" Buck teased.

Eddie shook his head, extracting himself from Buck's arms so he could examine his bruised right hand. "Did you put ice on this?"

"Yeah, I did."

"You should put more on, after dinner." Eddie kissed his knuckles one by one, and smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks."

"You know I hate fighting. Like, I wouldn't have done that… if he hadn't been such a fucking prick," Buck hissed.

"I know." Eddie kissed his hand again. "But thank you anyway."

"You guys are my family and he was talking shit about my family," Buck said simply. "So I took care of it."

"And he went flying," Eddie whispered, trying not to laugh. "Like, you knocked him across the room. You knocked him into next year. What a fucking turn on."

"Oh, that does it for you, does it?" Buck asked slyly, pulling him in for another kiss. "Wow."

Eddie sank into his arms, relishing the feel of his soft, pink lips – and how long he'd wanted it, with every fibre of his being. Just to be held by someone and kissed was _everything._

And then - "Dad, are we eating?" Christopher called from the living room. "I'm hungry."

Eddie broke away reluctantly. "Coming!" he called, and then met Buck's eyes again. "Do you want to stay the night? And maybe… a few days, while—"

"Yep," Buck said instantly. "I'll stay as long as you want me to."

"Great." Eddie kissed him again impulsively. "Come on."

They were sitting down to eat when Christopher looked back and forth between them suspiciously, and then said to Eddie, "Did you tell him?"

Eddie nodded, adding a couple of slices of pizza to his plate. "I told him."

Christopher bounced in his seat happily. "Are you going to stay forever now, Buck?"

Buck had a confused look on his face, and said to Eddie, "Have you and Chris been talking about this?"

Eddie shrugged. "We have no secrets. You know that."

"You can have no secrets now too," Christopher proclaimed, beaming at Buck.

Buck looked at them both, amazed, and said, "I love you guys."

Eddie reached over to cup his face with his hand and said softly, "We love _you._ "

Buck's smile was brilliant, lighting up his whole face, and he leaned in to press a quick kiss to Eddie's lips again. "Wow. Best day ever."

~

To say that he was nervous about having someone in his bedroom again after almost two years was an understatement, and he perched on the bed on his knees while Buck brushed his teeth in the bathroom before joining him. They'd always slept beside each other in separate beds in the bunk room, and the few times they'd taken Christopher camping, they'd slept beside each other in sleeping bags, but never in the same bed.

But it was _Buck_ , who practically skipped into the bedroom, closed the door, flicked the overhead light off and then threw himself at Eddie, tackling him with a hug. Eddie was laughing as he was manhandled onto his back, Buck sliding on top of him eagerly, and leaned in for a kiss.

Any fears he'd had immediately vanished, and he lost himself as Buck kissed him eagerly. Large hands slipped under his shirt and over his chest, and he was wishing he hadn't worn so many clothes when Buck simply parted long enough to whip Eddie's shirt off, biting his lip as he stared down at him.

"Oh my god, I've wanted this for so long," he groaned. "Is this really happening?"

"You want me to pinch you?"

Buck grinned. "Yeah, kinda."

So Eddie pinched his butt make him squeak, and then grabbed a handful and ground into him with intent. "You know I haven't had sex in—"

"Yep, about as long as me," Buck replied between kisses to Eddie's jaw and neck.

"And I got tested a while ago—"

Buck lifted his head. "You what?"

"Yeah, because… I knew what I wanted." Eddie touched his face lightly. "Just you."

"I might've said no," Buck replied archly, pulling away long enough to remove his shirt. "I don't sleep with just anyone."

"Oh, so I'm just _anyone_ , am I?" Eddie teased, rolling him onto his back, and planting his hands on either side of his body.

Buck gazed up at him wistfully, biting his lip. "No, you're everything I have ever wanted. And I'm clean as well. I got tested too."

Eddie narrowed his eyes. "You were that confident, huh?"

"Everyone's been saying for ages that I should ask you out, and… I started to wonder if they were right," he complained. "But then things got weird and I chickened out – you know that night, on the balcony, with the fireworks? God, I wanted to drag you up to my bed so bad, Eddie…"

"You should've," he said, and leaned in to kiss him hungrily.

~

"So here's the thing," Buck said, spooning up behind Eddie, his breath hot on the back of his neck. "I love you."

Eddie nuzzled against him. "I love you too."

"So I'm just going to tell everyone that you're my boyfriend. Okay? Cool?"

He laughed. "Yeah, cool."

"Good." Buck kissed the back of his neck and his shoulder, one hand still sliding up and down Eddie's side.

"Do you want to go on a date with me on Saturday night while Christopher is at a sleepover?" Eddie asked him, turning his head so he could see Buck's eyes.

Buck looked positively delighted. "You still want to go out on dates?" he asked shyly.

Eddie leaned in to kiss him impulsively. "Yes. I'm going to be the best boyfriend you've ever had."

"God, I'm going to hold you to that," Buck whispered, leaning over him for another kiss.

Eddie could kiss him for hours – it didn't matter that he had work the next day. In fact, for the first time in his life, he seriously considered calling in sick just so he could spend the day in bed with Buck.

When he mentioned that idea to Buck, he expected a gentle, 'No, you need to go to work.'

Instead Buck's eyes lit up and he whispered eagerly, "Please?"

So Eddie did, shirking his responsibilities for what felt like the first time in his entire life, and spent the whole next day in bed with his boyfriend, worshipping every inch of his body.

Totally worth it.

~

Eddie was tight-lipped about everything on his return to work, though Hen and Chimney gave him knowing looks and pressed him for information about his mystery illness. He wouldn't give them specifics, merely replying with, "Just under the weather; I don't know what to tell you."

Their next attempt after lunch was to interrogate him about Buck. "So how's he doing? Is his hand all right?" Hen asked him as they settled down on the couches.

Eddie, who was in the midst of texting Buck, replied, "Yeah, he's been icing it. He's okay."

"Not too upset about being on suspension?" Bobby asked curiously. "He accepted it much easier than I thought he would."

"No, he knew he'd done the wrong thing."

"And you guys are okay," Chimney confirmed, sharing a glance with Hen. "No arguments, everything is good?"

Eddie nodded. "We're great."

"And you're not mad at him," Hen said, desperate for information.

"Why would I be mad at him? He's a nice guy, and he was trying to give AJ the benefit of the doubt. I've got no reason to be mad at him for anything."

All three were beginning to look frustrated. He bit back a smile, checking his phone again. Buck had sent through a string of love heart emojis.

Bobby finally sighed and said, "I guess we want to know if you and Buck had an honest conversation about how you're in love with each other."

"Yeah, that," Chimney said, pointing to Bobby. "Can I please tell Maddie some good news, so she stops asking me every day if you and Buck are going to live happily ever after?"

Because they were being so nosy, and because Buck wasn't going to see them until Monday, and because he felt like being a shit, he said, "Nope. We're just friends."

That was clearly not the answer they were expecting, and Chimney was the first to demand, "What has the guy got to do, Eddie? He punched a dude and got suspended for you!"

"Yeah, you are being ridiculous," Hen complained. "You just need to tell him how you feel!"

Eddie bit back a smile, shrugging. "I don't know; it doesn't feel right yet."

"You are so frustrating," Hen groaned. "Just tell him! He is over the moon for you."

"Nice to know you guys are so invested in my love life."

Bobby said gently, "We just want you both to be happy."

Another message from Buck popped up on his phone, and he opened it to find a shirtless selfie. "I'll think about it," he said, and shot off a string of eggplants in reply.

~

He arrived home to find Buck and Christopher dressed up and paused in the doorway as he took off his sneakers. "What's going on?"

"We're going out to dinner!" Christopher shouted. "To Outback Steakhouse. I picked it!"

Buck raised his eyebrows, gesturing discreetly at Christopher with his thumb. "He did pick it."

"So you want me to get all dressed up as well, huh," he said, bending down to kiss the top of Christopher's head before stepping into Buck's arms. "Hi."

"Hi," Buck whispered, and kissed him hungrily.

"Gross," Christopher complained, covering his eyes.

Eddie broke away from Buck and admonished his son with a look. "Outback Steakhouse," he confirmed. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Christopher cheered. "Dad, get dressed. Quick!"

He laughed, heading down the hallway. "Okay, okay. I'll be quick." He'd showered at work, so he changed into a pair of dress pants and a nice blue button-up, pausing in front of the mirror in the bathroom to style his hair, before joining them in the living room. "Ready to go."

"You look gorgeous," Buck said admiringly, pulling him in for another kiss.

Eddie smiled up at him. "All for you."

"I'm a lucky, lucky man. Let's go."

~

It was during dinner, where Buck could hardly keep his eyes off Eddie and they kept knocking their feet together that he had a startling thought – he'd been holding out for the perfect moment for so long, thinking that part of it was important, when it actually _wasn't._ He'd denied himself happiness, not because of fear that Buck might reject him, or that his family wouldn't understand – and they probably wouldn't, but he didn't really care about that anymore, strangely enough – because he'd wanted the _moment_ to be perfect.

Realistically, he knew that Buck was _it_ for him. So maybe that was the real hesitation – the fear of taking the first step in their lives together. Maybe it was misguided arrogance, or, in actual fact, the confidence that he understood Buck better than anyone on the planet, but Eddie hadn't doubted that Buck would be all in. Not really. Bobby was right – Buck wasn't Shannon; the circumstances were different and their relationship was different. They'd been a team right from the first day, and despite a blip in the middle, their relationship had been smooth sailing.

Buck was a part of their family from the moment he and Christopher had laid eyes on each other, that much had always been certain. And Eddie hadn't even really looked at anyone but Buck as an option since Shannon had died. In some ways he felt like he'd been delaying the inevitable, waiting until they were both ready before taking the leap.

And now they were seated at a table together, the three of them, at Outback Steakhouse – a place he'd taken Christopher to _once_ previously, but he guessed it had made a lasting impression – and his family felt complete.

"So," Buck said, leaning over to talk to Christopher seriously, "there's an exhibit at the museum about the Mt St Helens eruption – we should all go."

"Yes," Christopher agreed eagerly. "But we could go _there_ , Buck. Couldn't we?"

Buck turned to Eddie hopefully.

"You want to drive to Mt St Helens?" he asked, amused.

"Yeah, we could drive up the coast! Make a week of it," Buck suggested.

"And neither of you are afraid it could blow again?"

"The chances are slim," Buck remarked, glancing at Christopher, who nodded in agreement. "Besides, the scientists and geologists would tell us if it was going to blow, and then we wouldn't go on our trip. But I think, as part of Christopher's education, that we should take him to an active volcano."

"Isn't it… dormant or something? If we wanted to go to an active volcano we should go to Hawaii," Eddie said without thinking, and both sets of eyes widened. "No. _No._ No way."

"Oh, we're doing it," Buck said to Christopher, who was looking positively gleeful. "Yeah, we're definitely going to Hawaii."

"Dad, I want to see a volcano," Christopher complained.

Eddie leaned in close to Buck and said in a low voice, "If he becomes a volcanologist I swear to god, it's all your fault."

Buck laughed. "I'll take it. That's the coolest job ever."

~

Eddie deliberately hadn't told Buck about the interrogation he'd suffered at the hands of their workmates, but they'd decided to be open and honest about their relationship anyway. Even though it was Buck's first day back at work, he wanted to take Christopher to school, and so Eddie arrived at the station first. He'd changed into his uniform and was ascending the stairs when he realised that both Maddie and Athena were with the rest of the group, and an array of pastries and doughnuts were spread out on the table.

"Are you trying to make us all fat?" Eddie asked, and without meaning to, instantly became the centre of attention.

"Is Buck with you?" Hen practically demanded.

"Yeah, he's late," Chimney said, checking his watch. "And you were too. What's going on?"

Eddie held his hands up defensively. "Whoa, can I have a coffee and a doughnut or—"

"It is his first day back; he did remember, right?" Bobby asked suspiciously.

"He remembered, but he promised to drop Christopher at school, so that's what he's doing." Eddie bit back a grin as he went to the coffee machine, listening to a flurry of furious whispers behind him.

He was adding sugar when Maddie exclaimed, "Here he is!"

"Hi!" Buck called, his voice ringing out through the station. "What are you doing here?"

"We brought food," she said, leaning over the balcony. "Hurry up."

"I'll just change!"

Eddie turned around, and found all eyes on him again, waiting expectantly. "All good?" he asked mildly, sipping his coffee. "Is there something special going on?"

"No," Bobby said, casting a quick look at Hen and Chimney. "Nothing special."

"Good." Eddie leaned against the kitchen island, trying not to smirk.

"And you and Buck had a nice night on Saturday?" Athena asked curiously. "You guys were at one of our favourite restaurants."

"Yeah, it was good," he replied, non-committal. They'd had their first official date, at a restaurant on the water, and ended up at Buck's loft for the night. He couldn't remember ever feeling so happy before.

Hen let out an impatient sigh, but when Bobby threw her a warning look, she held her hands up innocently. They'd obviously made some kind of agreement not to directly ask the question, and so everyone was silent, waiting for Buck.

And Buck did not disappoint. He bounded up the stairs two at a time, ducked under the low beam, hugged Maddie and greeted Athena and the rest of the team, before immediately beelining for Eddie and greeting him with a kiss.

There was a collective sigh of relief, and Buck and Eddie broke apart to find everyone smiling and nodding at each other. Hen and Chimney even high-fived.

"What's all this about?" Buck asked curiously, stealing a doughnut from the box on the table. "You were worried?"

"We were hopeful," Athena corrected. "Very hopeful."

Buck beamed. "Well, wonder no more – Eddie's my boyfriend and we're very happy, and Cap – I promise I will never punch anyone in the station ever again."

"In fairness, he had it coming," Hen remarked.

"I just never thought I'd live to see the day where _Buck_ threw the first punch," Chimney marvelled. "Somehow, I always thought it would be someone punching you."

Buck gave him the finger.

"Well, we're very happy for you, and yes Buck, if you could restrain yourself in the future, that'd be great," Bobby said dryly. "And you two have some paperwork to fill out. _And_ I don't think I need to tell you to remain professional in the workplace at all times. No sneaking off to the bunks."

Buck saluted him. Eddie raised his eyebrows at Bobby and said, "He's dating _me._ There's not going to be any of that."

Buck leaned in and whispered, "We'll see."

~

Eight Months Later

Eddie slid into the booth beside Buck, leaning in to peck him on the lips. "Hey."

"Mmm, hey." Buck kissed him again, draping an arm around his shoulders. "Everything went okay at Chris's doctor this morning?"

"Yep, fine. They're happy with the new therapy for now; surgery maybe next year? But no definite time frame as yet." Eddie leaned against him, sliding his hand along Buck's thigh.

A waitress arrived at their table and poured him a cup of coffee. He thanked her and leaned forward to add some sugar, as Buck walked his fingers up and down his back.

"So he was okay when you dropped him at school?"

"Yeah, happy, totally fine." Eddie leaned in against him again. "I'm just mentally preparing myself for all the heavy-lifting today, you know."

"Yeah, well, I'm only moving into your place once. And besides, we're selling most of my stuff." Buck kissed Eddie's neck. "And I ordered you a big breakfast."

"And we're going to have so much sex."

"So much sex," Buck agreed happily. "Hey speaking of so much sex – I know your parents are in town in a month, and they want a couple of days with Christopher… what if you and I maybe booked into a hotel somewhere and just went to town on each other?"

Eddie laughed. "Yeah, all right," he agreed. "But they're talking about two nights to take him to the San Diego Zoo, so… two nights."

"You don't want to go to the zoo? I kinda want to go to the zoo."

"I've been, but we can go again without my parents. Honestly, the less time I spend with them, the better." Eddie couldn't help but lean in for another kiss. "You look so good today," he murmured against Buck's lips. "I can't wait to move in with you."

"Officially," Buck agreed. "And marry you."

Eddie nudged him. "I'm asking."

"Not if I ask you first."

They shared a satisfied smile, but when Buck's face suddenly hardened, Eddie froze. "What's wrong?"

"Um, blast from the past," he muttered, and tilted his head towards the door.

Eddie turned and spotted a familiar nemesis standing at the counter, his arm around a younger woman with long, blonde dreadlocks. AJ was sporting dreadlocks of his own, a new nose piercing, and what looked like a brand new sleeve tattoo on his right arm.

"Jesus," Eddie murmured, sipping his coffee. "I thought he got fired?"

"He did; a couple of months ago." Buck rested his head on Eddie's shoulder, hiding his face. "Last I heard he'd taken off in a van to explore the wilderness."

"What a cool dude."

"Yeah, right." Buck hugged him a little tighter, and Eddie reached up with his free hand to stroke his cheek tenderly. "I love you."

"I love you too," Eddie said softly.

"I just don't want him to see me."

"Just because the last time you punched him in the face."

"Yeah, well, he had that coming."

Eddie watched as AJ and his lady friend collected their takeaway coffees, and started out of the diner together. He could see them through the window as they walked out to a decrepit brown van and climbed inside, and breathed a sigh of relief as it trundled away. "They're gone."

"Good." Buck sat up again, just as their food arrived. "Thank god, I'm starving."

Buck had ordered him smashed avocado and poached eggs on toast, with a side of bacon and a hash brown. Eddie dug in enthusiastically, murmuring with appreciation when Buck added the cooked tomato from his own plate to Eddie's.

"So," Buck said, crunching on a piece of bacon, "when I propose, do you want it to be in front of everyone at the station or more of a private thing?"

"No, no, I'm proposing," Eddie argued playfully. "And besides, we're only just moving in together. You can't propose yet."

"I can and I will." Buck gave him a gleeful smile.

_We'll see about that_ , Eddie thought, surreptitiously patting his pocket. He'd had the ring for six months.

No chickening out – today was the day.

He couldn't _wait._

~the end~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, sorry about the cliffhanger at the end of Chapter 2, and I hope you all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Kat ([cinematicnomad](https://cinematicnomad.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr) for all your help!
> 
> The title is from [Burn for You - INXS](https://youtu.be/XvQHlE9QF_4)
> 
> Talk to me @ Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)


End file.
